Chapter 12
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ADHRA STARED AT THE GRYFFINDOR TABLE WITH SQUINTED EYES, SILENTLY JUDGING THE TWO BOYS OF THEIR FRIEND GROUP. Harry caught her eyes, shrugging in response, as if perfectly aware of her thoughts even though her face remained as expressionless as ever.

She didn't do anything to counter the shrug. Her judgment wasn't directed towards her godbrother but rather towards the redhead who sat opposite him.

They just made up. And the redhead just had to go ahead and fight with Mione again.

And here, Adhara thought Weasley and she were making progress.

When Millie showed up to dinner, she did a double-take on their seating choice, clearly confused as to why Hermione was still sitting at the Slytherin table. She gave Adhara a look, arching a brow to show her confusion but Adhara understood it as more of a 'what the fuck happened again?'.

Adhara mouthed back a simple 'redhead', making sure Mione didn't see, and Millie nodded in understanding. Whatever is it that she understood from just that.

As though the silent conversation between her and Adhara hadn't happened at all, Millicent took a seat in front of Hermione and her, waving a simple greeting.

"Adhi, don't you have a paper to sign with Snape?" She was obviously trying to stray away from the topic of the new fight.

"No," Adhara replied, playing along easily, "the Aurors saw how I didn't have a hand in his second attack, so they're laying off the surveillance."

Students from all four Houses tried to sneak into the Gryffindor Common Room to catch a glimpse of all the commotion when none other than Ron Weasley claimed to have seen Sirius Black inside his bedroom. It didn't take long for the Aurors to arrive afterwards; two of them swiftly ran down to the dungeons to check if Adhara had anything to do with it.

She did not. Obviously.

Adhara heard Hermione tut-tut. "They shouldn't be tracking you like that, to begin with. You did nothing wrong!"

Adhara did nothing to quench Mione's strange need to be so righteous, choosing to focus instead on all the food that just appeared before them. It has been three years since Adhara stepped foot into this Hall for the first time, yet the sheer amount of dishes at every meal —be it during special occasions or during everyday supper — surprised her each time. She could never imagine having even half of this back at Aleyne.

Several hotpots of mutton, topped with a layer of potatoes spread out along the long table. Buttered peas and roasted carrots, with freshly baked bread that filled up the empty spaces around the pots, leaving barely enough room for drinks and cutleries.

The hotspots were a bit out of Hermione's reach, so she lifted her plate closer to Millie. "Can you pass me some, please? Can't quite grab the spoon."

But before Millie could even realize Mione was speaking to her, the Slytherin boy sitting right next to Millie took Hermione's plate and filled it out for her. Passing it back nonchalantly, as though he'd done it multiple times before.

All three girls exchanged a look.

The boy must've caught onto their bewilderment because he uttered a small, "what?".

Hermione broke out of her stupor. "You don't seem to care about. You know. Me being here?"

The Slytherin rolled his eyes. "Granger, you've been eating here every day for the past month. Forgive me for moving on."

"But I'm muggleborn?"

"So am I," he scoffed.

"What?"

The boy rolled his eyes again. Adhara was starting to believe it wasn't so out of place for her to be doing it so often. Maybe Gryffindors made everyone want to roll their eyes.

"Honestly, Granger. If you want to be called slurs and be belittled then you can just go sit with the purebreds. They sit at the far right of the table if you're so desperate."

Hermione was so caught off guard by this new information that she didn't even have time to react to the boy's rudeness. Her mouth hung open, unable to process.

Adhara had to close her mouth with her hands. "You'll catch flies, Mione."

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Harry didn't want to admit it, but he was a little — only a little — angry with Ron and Hermione right now. They had just made up with Hermione, so why did they have to go and have another fight again?

And this time, it was over the fucking rat again.

Another thing Harry had to admit: he did not like Scabbers very much. He knew that was a mean. But the animal was quite useless. And lazy. And cowardly. It never did anything. It was more of a chore than a pet. Not to mention, it was also a reoccurring reason behind his friends' fights this year.

So yes, Harry did not care about Scabbers. At all. He liked Crookshank though, that cat had developed a strange attachment to him, and he wasn't going to deny that he liked having something soft to curl his fingers in. Less of his shirts were stretched out since he now had something else to hold onto.

And that was exactly what he was doing at the moment. He was on his way towards Hagrid's hut to escape his fighting friends when he found Crookshank wandering about the halls, so he decided to socialize with the cat instead of his half-giant friend. 

Right as he picked up the cat, however, Hermione appeared from around the corner, looking for her pet.

"Oh, Harry! What are you doing here?" 

Harry motioned towards his arms full of cat, a satisfied smile on his face. It fell right away, though, when he noticed the tear stains on Hermione's face.

" 'Mione? What happened?"

The girl's bottom lip started to tremble at the question. "Buckbeak's trial. It didn't-" she shook her head, sniffling. "We couldn't do it, Harry. We couldn't save him."

Harry released the cat from his hold, letting the animal run away from him, and reached out towards his friend. He let Hermione rest her head on his shoulder as she cried out.

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The History of Magic classroom was small. Too small for Anti-Dementor Lessons: even with all the desks pushed up against the walls, the space in the middle was just a bit too tight for Harry to practice the charm comfortably. Though, it did the job, so no one was complaining.

Not even Adhara, who was crammed in the corner of the room, sitting on top of a table with her knees pulled towards her chest and eyes following Harry's movements closely. Small places didn't bother Adhara. She found the classroom quite cozy, actually, with the sunlight filtering in through the open windows. The fireplace on the other side of the room was left untouched, and Adhara could feel the cooling sensation of the February breeze on her skin. It felt nice.

She insisted on joining the session this weekend after her godbrother casually confessed who exactly he heard whenever a dementor got too close.

Lupin must've been surprised to see her, but, other than asking her if she wanted to try out the spell also, he didn't comment much on her presence.

He sat only a few tables away, not too close but not as far as Adhara would want him to. Though with the size of the classroom, he wasn't to be blamed there. The professor's lanky figure hunched in more as he kept his watchful gaze on Harry. Adhara wondered once again just how much pain his spine must be in.

His presence, however, bothered Adhara. Of course, she couldn't deny the shred of gratitude she felt towards him for helping Harry. Though, that didn't change the fact that the man's behaviour was still a source of confusion, which meant his actions were difficult to anticipate, therefore Adhara wasn't assured she could trust him.

But Harry trusted him, and she trusted Harry. So perhaps she should reconsider?

Adhara didn't realize she was staring at Lupin until the man himself turned around to steal a glance of her. She averted her gaze right away, deciding to keep her eyes on Harry from now on.

"You know," he spoke up as another gust of light released from Harry's wand, "the Patronus Charm may be difficult, but it isn't impossible to do."

Adhara had to take in a a heavy breath. Her fingers wrapped around her ankle as he tucked her knees under her chin. She wasn't against practicing the spell. In fact, the difficulty level on the charm only made her want to accept the challenge even more. But, Adhara was everything but naive. She wasn't foolish enough to attempt something when she knew that the success rate would be a big ole zero.

Harry shouted out the incantation once again, the light lasting a shorter amount of time than during his previous attempt. Adhara watched him fall to the ground before he stood back up again within seconds, as though remaining on the floor wasn't even an option.

She felt her fingers slightly jolt around her ankles, her skin undoubtedly turning white at the area. Adhara risked a glance towards her teacher and saw that his attention was on his other student. But his back was straightened up now, and he was leaning against the wall behind him.

Her fingers tingled, blood rushing back to the spot as she slowly loosened her grip. The last time she let herself relax....nothing bad happened. The Grangers had proven that it was okay to release her tight grip from time to time. And if her memory served her well, Lupin had spoken the similar words as them at some point. So Adhara decided to indulge herself once again.

Harry trusted him, and Adhara trusted Harry.

This should be fine. It would be okay.

"The charm requires more than a simple wand to achieve it." Her voice stayed as levelled as always, face remaining impassive like usual. But her fingers were tingling more and more, and Adhara wondered if her hands were shaking. But she wouldn't dare to spare them a look.

Lupin's shoulders tensed up, obviously surprised that Adhara spoke. He didn't look towards her, though, apparently aware that it would only make the girl more anxious.

"Oh?" His chin turned slighting in her direction, an indication that he was paying attention. But Lupin's eyes remained on Harry.

Adhara released another breath. Her legs adjusted until she was sat in a criss-cross position. "I don't have a memory to use."

Adhara could see Lupin shuffle in his spot in her peripheral vision. She still wasn't looking in his direction.

"How about when you met Harry?"

She scoffed. "We didn't like each other at first."

For some reason, that made the professor smile. "Hermione?"

Adhara thought it over. Although Mione and she started speaking to each other much earlier, they didn't become friends until Halloween that year.

"There was a troll involved. Wasn't very fun."

Lupin sighed, one Adhara assumed was out of resignation. Her lips tugged against her will.

"Harry's having trouble finding the right memory, as well," he said, gesturing towards the boy. "It takes time, but you will have a memory to use one day. I promise."

Harry shouted again. This time, the light escaping his wand lasted longer, spreading over a larger scale. It blinded all three of them for a second before dissipating away. Her godbrother turned around, his feet still firmly in on the ground as he sent a blinding grin towards Lupin and her.

Adhara leaned back into the wall behind her, her hands hanging loosely from her sides.

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"If that's all for the questioning, Auror Tonks, may I take my leave now?"

"Not just yet, Professor. I have a few questions left."

Remus eyed the trainee closely. She had different colour hair than last time — purple instead of green — which shouldn't be too unusual. Changing one's hair colour was as easy as changing a lightbulb these days. But what did stand out to him was her height. Auror Tonks had shrunk a a couple of inches since their last interview.

Her remembered something Sirius told him once, about how one of his cousins had a metamorphmagus kid. Apparently, he was talking about Andromeda Tonks.

"I have some inquiries about one of your students."

Remus raised a brow. "Adhara Black, you mean."

"Exactly."

"Have the Aurors found anything suspicious about her?"

At that, Tonks didn't look too pleased. Her lips curled back when she spoke the next words: "No, they haven't."

"Then? What other questions could you have?"

"You don't believe it could be her? Not even a little?"

"Let me rephrase what you're asking me, Auror Tonks," announced Remus, voice edging on taut. "You think a mere thirteen-year-old could help a criminal break into the safest fortress in the world. Whilst managing to evade the watchful eyes of trained Aurors and professors."

"Stranger things have happened."

Remus' tone turned icy. "Yes, you are right. They have. In fact, just a few months ago, a man escaped from an impenetrable fortress of a prison. It wouldn't be too shocking to believe that same man could sneak into another equally impenetrable fortress."

Tonks groaned. "Okay, alright! I get it. 'Lay off, Adhara Black.' Geez, don't get your knickers in a twist," she spilled out. "Forgive me for thinking his niece would do something. You know, familial ties an' all."

"She's a half-blood."

"So?"

"You know first hand where the Black Family's 'familial ties' end."

Tonks blinked as if only realizing that now. Her face contorted into a scowl, disgust directed half at her own self, half at her maternal family. She had to close her eyes to process the entire thing.

"R-right. That's...right," she groaned again. "Dear Helga, mum is gonna kill me!"

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"You again?"

The dog came closer to her this time, sitting only an arm's length away. Adhara didn't try to reach out to pet it, though, in case it decided to escape.

She hasn't been to her walks in months. The last thing she expected was to meet the dog again. And yet, here it was.

Adhara still hadn't figured out where it came from. It could be a stray. How did it reach all the way to the highlands then? It couldn't belong to a student; they weren't allowed a dog. But then again, Weasley had a rat, which wasn't on the list, either.

"Who's your owner? Is it a student? They're doing a poor job grooming you if so, you look terrible."

The dog growled, walking a few steps away. It stopped right in front of Adhara, holding its snout high.

She snorted. "Why do you look offended? Do you understand me?"

It didn't react.

"Well, alright. I was only speaking the truth. You need a better owner, one that feeds you properly," she peeked inside her bag, muttering her next words, "it isn't fun to go hungry."

The dog's ears perked at the last bit of her comment.

Adhara continued to rummage through her satchel, she didn't notice the animal's sudden piqued interest. "Sorry. Haven't got anything today."

She looked back and saw the dog nuzzling its snout at her feet.

"You can leave. I don't have anything to give you."

It didn't budge.

Adhara sighed. "Fine. Do whatever you want to do, I don't own the place."

She brought her legs back, crossing them so that dog wouldn't get any drool over her shoes. She picked up her letter again, ignoring the animal, but it seemed like it didn't like the lack of attention.

"What?" The dog rounded her, leaning over her side to smell the parchment paper in her hands. "They're letters. From." She tried to shove it away, but the dog was stronger than it looked. "From my father."

The Grimm's head suddenly whipped up, silver eyes boring into her with what looked like shock. Its eyes drifted back to the letters, studying them more closely.

As it approached Adhara, she reached out to the dog's chin with her other hand, stroking the fur all the way to its neck. "Have you got a name? There's no collar," she checked. "You must really be a stray..." She petted it behind its ear. "How did you get all the way out here. Reckon you're a muggle dog?"

She got a bark in response.

"Yes? You recognize the word 'muggle'?"

The dog barked again.

"Wizarding then. Were you abandoned?"

It only nuzzled closer to her.

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

The dog looked back up, staring again for a few seconds. Its head tilted sideways, as if contemplating something. Adhara didn't understand why she was talking to it, in the first place. But, for some reason, it looked like it understood everything she was saying.

She ran her hand through the fur on its head. "I'm assuming you don't have a name. Shall I give you one?"

The Grimm's head cocked the other way.

"Let's see?" She eyed the dog's unkempt fur. "Fluffy? Would be ironic, no?"

The dog replied with a bark, growling at the end.

"That's a no, I think. Fair enough, don't think Hagrid would appreciate it if someone stole his Cerberus' name."

The dog sat down again, tilting its head the other way.

"Snuffles?" Another growl. "Alright ok. Not Snuffles. Umm...should I name you after a star? That's apparently what my relatives did."

The dog jerked its head towards the girl, its gaze turning violent in a beat. It barked loudly.

Adhara, who noticed the dog's sudden change in behaviour, sat up straight, her brows knitting. "Wha-"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence. The animal launched at her, grabbing the letter in her lap between its teeth and ran further into the forest.

She froze for a second, taken aback by the sudden attack. She watched it disappear behind the trees before realizing that it took one of her letters. Adhara quickly grabbed the strap of the satchel and sprinted in the same direction.

She didn't know how long she ran or if she was even going in the right direction. Her feet faltered until she slowed down to a walk. Her staggering breath was the only sound she could hear. By the time she caught up to the animal, the patch of green was gone, leaving behind wet dirt that stuck to the bottom of her oxfords.

The Grimm was hunched over the letter, which was neatly spread open on the ground. Adhara walked closer, snatching the letter away. The dog let her, only looking back at her with an empty expression.

"What. The fuck. Was that for?" She forced out shallow breaths from her lungs, trying to lengthen them in order to even out her breathing. Adhara shoved the slobber-covered letter back in her bag, where she knew it would be safe.

The dog, expectedly, said nothing.

"Is it because I didn't give you a muffin? I couldn't nick one from the kitchens this morning, Sprout was there."

The dog stayed where it was, staring at Adhara. She stared back, confused by the whole event. She was still breathing loudly from her mouth.

The dog gave her a once-over, which made her arch a brow, before barking one last time and running in the opposite direction.

Adhara stayed still, watching the dog run away. Her breaths quieted out, and it was only then, did she realize she ran too far from the edge of the forest. She had absolutely no idea how to get back to the castle.

She closed her eyes, annoyed at herself.

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Harry learned two important lessons this week.

1. Do not hold onto pathetic grudges from high school. There is a good chance you'll end up a shallow, shallow man in your 30s if you do so. (Aka Severus Snape 2.0)

And 2. Hermione Granger is a force not to be messed with.

("I thought you two believed Mione to be a goody-two-shoes with no backbone?" taunted Millie.)

("She punched Draco! She's got a better left-hook than you, Bulstrode!")

(Harry joined in, "She also walked out Divination? And lobbed a crystal ball across the room!")

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Adhara supposed it was only wishful thinking to believe she could go her entire Hogwarts career without having to step foot into Severus Snape's office. The man couldn't stand her as much as she did him, thus it wasn't too far-fetched of a wish.

Of course, her ignorance of the interior design of Snape's private office space only lasted three years. Now, she knew that thePotion Master of Hogwarts had a seemingly unhealthy obsession with leather furniture, which reflected light because of grease, Adhara assumed. The room was redolent of its stench, suggesting Snape brewed his potions somewhere nearby.

But somehow, despite the odd choice in decor, the blond sitting in one of the leather chairs inside the office was what caught Adhara's attention. Malfoy shoved the book he was reading behind his back when he caught sight of Adhara.

Adhara wondered what the book was, she wanted to raise one single questioning brow to let her intention be known, but she did none of those things. Malfoy wasn't going to tell her no matter how much she prodded. He did notice her watching, however, and froze, perhaps waiting to see what she would do.

She was taken aback by his reaction. Usually, Malfoy would use such opportunity to taunt her or, as he started doing more recently, tell her to sod off. And yet, here he was, shrinking back into a forest green leather chair, hiding the book under his robes and with cheeks redder than apples.

Adhara really wanted to know what that book was.

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A/N "But why would there be muggleborns in Slytherin if Salazar Slytherin himself didn't like muggleborns?"

I don't care honestly. If half-blood can be Slytherins, why not muggleborns? Whatever, canon divergent and all that.