Chapter 21
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"I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT BEFORE," REPEATED SIRIUS. "I mean, it is just so obvious!"

Molly placed a mug of hot tea in front of the man before sitting at the table, her own cuppa in hand. Remus was already sipping from his hot chocolate.

The Burrow was quiet for a change. Molly's youngest was off to her friend's house for the day. Apparently, she had 'a bit of an opinion' about the extra guest they were expecting today, and so she didn't want to be around when the woman arrived. In fact, Ginny disliked the guest so much that she dragged her Hufflepuff friend — Roisin, the kid Sirius found out who also lived at Aleyne — off to the Lovegoods even before breakfast.

Molly huffed at the behaviour but said nothing else. Sirius thought it was perhaps she was happy that Ginny even bothered to show up home for the break.

Percy, the only other Weasley child to return home, was locked in his room. Sirius had yet to see a single glimpse of him.

Sirius ran a finger around the edge of his mug. "Pureblood families are more attached to the orphanage than Matron. They won't care if she gets thrown in Azkaban, as long as their precious backup plan remains."

Not that that was the reason Sirius was now focusing his case on Hallewell, but it would still work in their favour. The goal is to convince as many members of the Wizengamot as possible, which mostly consisted of pureblood families. There should be more families willing to vote in his favour now.

Molly tutted. "I still can't believe it. Abandoning their children, switching them out for 'better' versions. And they call themselves parents!"

Sirius and Remus shared a look. Neither of them wanted to bring up the fact that it was very probable someone down her ancestry had done the same.

"Why, I ought to —"

The floo flashed green.

"— oh! And there's Augusta. Come, come!"

Remus, ever the chivalrous, got up to greet the new guest. He offered to take her outer robe. Sirius stayed where he was, sipping his tea.

Augusta thanked Remus, before making a double-take once she got a good look at him. Her lips pursed slightly before she took her seat at the dining table.

Sirius raised a brow at the reaction. He set his mug down.

"Good afternoon, Augusta."

The woman's mouth was still pursed. Augusta looked at them with an air that reminded Sirius that, Light or not, the woman was, after all, a Sacred Twenty-Eight.

"Good afternoon."

Hadn't it been for all the table manners that were drilled into him, Sirius would have definitely rolled her eyes at her. Alas, Augusta's presence here was important. Longbottom kept eight seats at the Wizengamot, and they needed those votes.

The woman stole a glance from Remus, again. The man smiled back, big and bright. Augusta simply looked away sharply.

Sirius remembered Augusta, from back during their Order days. She was nothing like her son. Frank was a warm and social person. A bit shy at times, but no one ever questioned his placement in Gryffindor. Alice was the same, if not a bit more gregarious.

Augusta Longbottom was nothing of the sort. Brave, perhaps. Intelligent, even. But judgemental and a narrow-minded bitch. Sirius never missed the way she eyed Remus.

And besides, Sirius didn't forget the shock he felt when he read the name Edward Longbottom when he got the list of Aleyne kids.

"What is this about, then?" Seemed like Augusta understood that this wasn't a simple invitation to tea.

Good. No dilly-dallying was required. It would make things easier.

"You know of my niece, Adhara."

"Ahh, yes. The Slytherin."

A heavy atmosphere settled as the words left the woman's lips, weighing down on the four adults like heat on a particularly awful summer day.

Sirius felt Remus' hand slip into his. He gripped on tightly. Now was not the time to lose his cool.

Molly was fidgeting in her chair. As lovely and kind as the redhead may be, it wasn't a secret that her opinions on Slytherins were quite juvenile.

"Yes, precisely. It has come to my attention that, for all those years that I have been in Azkaban, she was brought up in an orphanage."

At the mention of the orphanage, the woman finally looked at him. This entire time, Augusta's gaze wandered around the house. Sips of her tea, and glimpses at Remus, but her eyes were never on Sirius.

"Aleyne. I'm sure you heard of it."

"Of course. There is no magical child who hasn't."

"Then, you must also know about the stories. The horrors, the abuse. Unfortunately, it's all true. Adhara and many other children had to live through it all."

Augusta took one last sip from her cup before putting it aside. "What do you plan to do about it?"

Sirius clenched his jaw.

Remus spoke instead. "We don't plan to stay silent, that's for certain, with what the Matron made Adhara and the other kids go through. I'm sure you understand, don't you, Lady Longbottom?"

"I am planning on presenting the case at the Wizengamot," cut Sirius. "I won't let this case be swept under the rug anymore."

"And you called me here to ensure my votes?"

"Precisely."

"Then I must refuse, Lord Black. I simply cannot support you in this cause."

Sirius scoffed.

Molly was taken aback. "What do you mean, Augusta? These kids — I'm sure you don't understand...why, Ginny brought home one of her friends. She grew up there — oh if you had seen the state of her hands —"

"Oh, I understand quite well, Molly dear. Those poor children...but I cannot condone Aleyne to be abolished. I mean, what are we to do if it is gone?"

Around the table, everyone's jaw went slack except Sirius'.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Edward Longbottom, would it?"

Lady Longbottom looked as though she bit into a lemon. "What else were we to do?" she asked, affronted. "Algie and Enid tried and tried and tried. And yet, that Blythe hadn't a single drop of magic in her." She picked her cup back, taking a long sip. She looked at Sirius sternly. "And then she had her son. Just the same as her."

Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, but that didn't stop him. "She was your niece!"

Augusta continued to calmly sip her tea. "Algie and Enid were devastated, of course. But what else could they have done? Blythe wouldn't have survived here. What would she do? Where would she have gone? This world isn't kind to squibs." She looked at Molly, voice grave. "Algie, especially, couldn't bear it. It is why he was so restless about Neville. Did a thousand and one thing to ensure he was magic!"

Tension in the room coiled like a wire. Sirius didn't know what to say. His younger, more naive self would be surprised to hear this from someone of the Light. But Sirius was no longer that foolish child. Twelve years of torture would do that to a person. Still, it dumbfounded him to see that Augusta didn't even look remorseful. In fact, she spoke as though she only did the expected thing. Like abandoning a child for not being 'perfect' was completely normal.

"Get out."

Sirius and Remus's heads snapped towards Molly. Augusta was shocked, lips still pursed in her cup.

Molly snatched the cup away. "Get out of my house!"

"Why — how impudent —"

"To think I used my good china on you. Out! Before I hex you out!"

Looking indignant, Augusta Longbottom hurried to the fireplace, throwing aghast remarks before floo-ing away.

Heaving, Molly Weasley angrily put all of the cups and mug onto a tray and conjured it away.

"Right then! Think we worked quite enough for today, boys." Molly looked at Remus and Sirius, smiled stretched out. She was trying to not look too angry. "Let's take a break. I'm going to go tend to the garden."

"Th — the garden?" Remus stuttered out.

"The garden! The weeds! The gnomes! All of it!"

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With a chronometer, Adhara timed Greengrass' flight speed as she flew around the pitch. When she flew past the rings, Adhara stopped the timer. The fourth-year waited for her to descend from her broom.

"You're ten seconds too slow."

Greengrass was out of breath. She held herself up with her broom. Adhara wanted to tell her not to do that, it would bend the bristles, but she didn't think the girl cared that much. After all, she only wanted to join the team to piss off her father, not because she cared about the sport.

Not that Adhara cared that much. It didn't matter to her what the girl's motivation was, as long as Adhara's goal was met, and as long as she was good.

"Does that matter that much? It's only ten seconds."

Adhara thought it over. "Usually? Not really. Speed wouldn't have mattered that much had you been skilled elsewhere. But your throwing is sub-par at best, and there is no way you could manoeuvre around bludgers properly."

The girl looked miffed. "Why train me at all, then? If I am so 'sub-par'."

Adhara rolled her eyes, mounting her own broom. "Because I'm not necessarily training you to be a brilliant chaser. I'm training you to match with Montague and me. He and I have the skills down, so if you train on your speed..."

"...If I'm faster than Montague, then he'll definitely pick me?"

"Exactly. Now, no one on the team is as quick as he is, not even me. It takes him less than ten seconds to fly from one end to the other. If you're ten seconds too slow to fly around the pitch, do you think you'll be faster than him?"

Greengrass didn't look too happy, probably only now realising how much work this plan actually is.

But Slytherins weren't quitters.

If anything, Adhara was glad she only realised after, otherwise she wouldn't have even accepted.

"I'll fly, too. Your goal today is to outfly me."

Greengrass groaned. "At least, you're not faster than Montague."

"No. But I am the second quickest. So, don't dawdle."

━━━━

Harry stood still — confused, annoyed, amused or even embarrassed, he wasn't sure — but he stood there quietly, with his arms spread open as Remus and Mrs. Weasley poked and prodded him. Remus shoved a list of spells in his hands — "Just in case." — which Mrs. Weasley removed immediately because — "That's cheating!" — and handed him a pre-injury potion instead.

"Drink up, darling. It'll heal any injury you get within the first hour in an instant! Just don't ask what's in it. Ha!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and pushed both adults away. He held Harry by his face, and Harry tried to gulp down any fear that made its way up to his throat.

Sirius rubbed a thumb right under Harry's eye. "You'll be fine," told Sirius, looking right into his eyes with such conviction that Harry couldn't help but believe him.

"You know the spell for vermillious?"

Harry nodded.

"If you're in trouble, you use the spell. And I'll be right next to you within the second."

"But I'll be disqualified."

"And you'll be safe. Okay?"

On Harry's right was the Quidditch field, and Harry already knew what the sight beheld without even looking. The entrance to the labyrinth, which Adhara had deemed the very day the hedges were put up, was a taint on the school and that Dumbledore was losing his sanity quicker than she had first imagined. Harry also knew the other champions stood near the entrance with their family. But Harry's hands felt cold, and his legs felt numb. Sirius' eyes were keeping him in place and keeping him safe, and Harry did not want to move.

"Wh — what if I break my wand?"

"Then you steal someone else's."

"That would put them in trouble."

"But it'll keep you safe."

Harry frowned. "I don't want to put anyone else in danger because of me."

Sirius smiled like he did whenever he saw something no one else did. "It'll only be for a second, though. And I'll bring them back to safety, too."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

━━━

Sirius and Remus walked him down to the field, joining the rest of the champions.

"Look. The Diggory's," Remus remarked.

Harry glanced at the family, then averted his gaze right away. He couldn't look in their direction. He'd do something stupid, he just knew it.

He grabbed Sirius by his elbow and dragged him in the opposite direction. "Have you met the other Champions? How about we go talk to them?"

"Cedric Diggory is a Champion, is he not?"

"Yes, well —"

"Good afternoon to all."

Harry immediately froze when he heard Bertha Jorkins' voice. His scar started to sting, and he unconsciously took a step back. He hasn't forgotten about what happened in the forest with Moody.

Sirius and Remus stood on either side of him, but Jorkins' attention seemed to be drawn to Harry only, her green eyes locking him in place. Harry found that odd, though. He remembered the scene with Moody in detail, and Harry was sure her eyes had been red.

"I don't think we have truly ever met, Mr. Potter. A pleasure to meet you."

Harry wanted to leave. There was something very unsettling about the woman. The way she talked, the way she moved — she felt very detached. There was no other way to describe. Uneven blinks, crooked smile, hands interlocked behind her back at all times.

Harry knew he should tell Sirius and Remus about Jorkins and Moody. But Sirius had already told him not to follow suspicious people into the forest. Harry couldn't tell Sirius that he did just that only a few hours after Harry received his letter. He might just kick Harry out.

Jorkins kept looking at him. "I don't see your other charge anywhere."

Sirius, somehow understanding that she addressed him — even though the woman still kept staring at Harry very unnervingly — pushed Harry behind him.

"Adhara is writing an exam currently. As is every. Other. Student," he responded matter-of-factly.

Remus took a step forward too, both of them completely shielding Harry. It finally made Jorkins break eye contact. She slowly examined Remus, her disgust visible. "She and their friends should be back by the time the task begins, though."

Jorkins didn't reply to Remus, instead addressing Harry. "Hope to see you at the finish line, M. Potter."

Watching the woman walk away, Harry finally took a breath of relief.

"I still find her very suspicious if you ask me," declared Sirius, frowning.

Remus seemed to share the sentiment. "Yes...she is quite odd, isn't she? Why was she staring at Harry like that?"

Harry shrugged, the ache in his scar calming down. He simply wanted to get this tournament over with. Hopefully, he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of the other Champions.

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Millicent let Adhara hold onto her hand. She let her squeeze and grip and dig her nails in as much as Adhara could — not that her grip was nearly as strong as it used to be anymore, what with the permanent shake of her fingers and her damaged nerves. But the important thing was that Adhara had something to hold onto because otherwise, she felt like she would unravel right from the centre.

She wanted to punch Dumbledore in the face.

Remus was right next to her. "Remember what I said during the first task?"

Adhara nodded. "That you and Sirius would apparate and take Harry out if he ends up being in any real danger."

"Exactly. That still stands for this task."

Adhara slowly breathed out, but she didn't let go of Millie.

She glanced behind her, where Hermione and the Weasleys all sat. Every single one of them showed up to support Harry, which surprised even Adhara.

Millicent leaned near and whispered, "Your uncle looks like he wants to talk to you."

Adhara blinked before looking at her right, last Remus, and sure enough, Sirius was looking straight at her.

Adhara frowned. "What?"

Sirius spluttered. "Well — well — you see, I— ow!" He glared at Remus, rubbing his arm, "What was that for?!"

Remus had his back to her, so Adhara couldn't see what face the man was making, but Sirius' expression changed from angry to sheepish. He took a big breath and looked at Adhara again.

"You don't need to worry about Harry. I talked to him before the task."

"Yeah? And what did you tell him?"

"To steal someone's wand if his breaks."

Adhara sighed, glancing at the maze. She glared towards where she thought Harry might be. "He won't do that. Harry's got a saviour complex. He won't put someone else in danger to save himself."

From next to her, Millicent laughed.

Looking back at Sirius, Adhara finished. "He's an idiot like that."

To her surprise, Sirius smiled at the comment. "You sound like you've dealt with quite a lot of idiocies already."

Adhara's ears felt warm. She looked away. "You've got no idea."

She heard Ronald scoff. "No offence, mate, but your godson does not have the best track record when it comes to these things."

"What?"

"Did no one tell you?" asked Remus. "You god kids faced You-Know-Who is their first and in their second year."

"What?"

"Dears, I don't think we should —"

Ron spoke over his mother, ignoring her. "Oh, you were talking about that? I meant the other stuff."

Remus looked surprised. "What other stuff?"

The red-headed boy kicked Adhara from the back. She turned around with a glare, only to come face to face with Ron's beaming face.

"Tell him about the list!"

Adhara was too taken aback to respond.

"What list?" asked Sirius instead.

"The ever-growing list of things Harry encountered since first year!"

At the same time as Hermione said: "She doesn't actually keep a list, right Adhara?", Millicent exclaimed: "Ah, yes! The list!"

Everyone was looking at her now, including the Weasleys. Especially Mrs. Weasley.

Remus poked her hand, drawing her attention. "Do you really keep a list?"

This time, Adhara was certain her ears were red. "It — it isn't an actual physical list! I just keep track, s'all."

Ginny spoke up. "Well. Go on, then! What's on this list?"

Adhara huffed. She took out her right hand. Starting from the tip of her pinky, she counted the lines on her fingers. "In first year, there was the troll, the dragon, the three-headed dog —"

"— the dragon shouldn't count, I mean, it was so small —"

One of Ron's brothers interrupted him. "I'll have you know that small dragons are also quite fierce —"

Adhara ignored them. "Oh, and You-Know-Who was apparently living on the back of our Defence professor's head."

Hermione decided to add in her ten cents. "A shame, really. Quirrel wasn't that bad of a teacher."

"Yes, of course," said Millicent, her tone already sarcastic, "except for the part where the Dark Lord was feasting on his soul."

Hermione glared at her, which Millicent responded to by sticking out her tongue.

Adhara kept counting, Sirius and Remus' attention was fully on her.

"In our second year, there was the flying car and the Willow—"

"Those count?" Ron sounded sceptical.

"Both of you almost died, so yes. And then, there was the acromantula and the basilisk. Oh, and You-Know-Who's spirit."

No one interrupted her then, but she could physically feel everyone's gaze turning towards Ginny.

Sirius arched his brow, but Adhara waved him off.

Millicent — because, of course it was Millie — broke the silence. "She forgets to mention that she also faced You-Know-Who that year."

"This is about Harry." Adhara rolls her eyes.

"It's how she got the scar on her neck."

"Excuse me?"

Sirius stood up then, approaching Adhara and crouching in front of her. He lifted her chin to get a better look at the scar.

Adhara pushed his hand away, but that didn't stop the worry on her uncle's face.

"Anyway. Third year," she was already on number nine, "the dementors." And a werewolf, but Adhara kept that one to herself. "You-Know-Who was quiet last year."

"You can probably add Pettigrew to the list. The man's a warning in himself."

"Someone's still bitter about his rat."

"Twelve years!"

"And this year," Adhara talked over them, "a dragon, the sirens and," she huffed, glancing at the field, "whatever the fuck is in that maze."

━━━━

"Why did you have to bring up the list?" Hermione peaked from behind Ron. "Your mum doesn't look happy."

Ron shrugged. "Mum is never happy. I don't think she likes Adhara much."

Hermione pursed her lips. The fact must be more obvious than she thought if even Ron had noticed it. "Then why bring it up?"

He shrugged once more. "It distracted her, didn't it?"

Hermione stilled. She glanced at her friends and noticed that Adhara wasn't holding Millie's hand anymore.

Hermione smiled, looking at Ron with fondness. "You're right. It did."

His ears had turned red.

"It's whatever. She's my friend, I suppose."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she kept smiling. "Thank you for looking after your friend Ronald."

"Yeah, yeah."

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