Chapter 3
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Adhara wasn't the only one who wore gloves at Hogwarts. The other Aleyne kids at Hogwarts, whose hands were in the same state as Adhara's, also covered them up.

Most of these kids were in Slytherin, so those of whom who noticed concluded it was some sort of pureblood fashion statement. (Which was ironic since most of these students were muggle-borns.) The others went unnoticed enough to not raise any brows.

It was easier to just hide the marks. Not only did they not need to look at their own hands, but it also avoided unwanted questions, and this way, no one would wonder why there were so many students with similarly injured hands.

It was the same reason why Aleyne children didn't associate with each other at school. If they did have to talk, they didn't mention the orphanage at all. So whenever Adhara noticed a familiar face in the corridor, she simply ignored them and went on about with her day.

They pretended to not know each other. This way, no one would trace them back to Aleyne, no one would look at them with pity, no one would try to talk to them about that place.

(They already had to bear with Aleyne during the summer, they did not need to be reminded of it during the school year, as well.)

However, Adhara felt like this system was going to come to an end this year. Because Roisin Han sat on the stool with the Sorting Hat atop her head, but she kept stealing glances at Adhara.

"She's been there for ten minutes now."

"Not the first hatstall. Certainly won't be the last."

"Do you know her?"

"No."

"She keeps looking at you."

"You're imagining it."

Millie looked at her unimpressed.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Uh-huh. Adhi, I may not be Mione, but I'm not an idiot."

Adhara ignored her. She tried to focus her attention elsewhere, but there was nothing else to focus on. The food hadn't appeared yet, so that wasn't an option. She didn't have anything on her either that could distract her, and so she decided to do what Millie normally did. She checked her nails.

Which was stupid because she had gloves on.

"Adhi."

"How do you know if it's me she's looking at. Maybe she is just interested in Slytherin."

"It is you, because why else would you making such an effort to ignore the sorting."

"I ignore everything."

A pause. It took a minute for Millie to think it over. It was true. She did ignore.....most things.

"And perhaps she's just curious about the Half-Blood bastard of House Black."

That made Millie frown. "Mione told you not to call yourself that."

"We insult each other all the time."

"Yes, but you actually mean it when you call yourself-"

"A bastard?"

"Adhara!"

She smirked. The topic of their conversation was no longer about Roisin. She was swiftly able to change it without Millie catching on. Adhara found herself quite clever then.

But then the Hat cried out.

"Hufflepuff!"

The table next to them erupted in cheers. Normally, the other Houses only politely clapped along, but they seemed more enthusiastic this time. Adhara thought it was because they could now finally move onto the next first year.

"A total of 14 minutes. She's going to be bombarded with questions."

Adhara was quietly clapping her hands. Her eyes followed Roisin's figure as she hopped off the platform. The girl looked disappointed for a moment, but her expression quickly changed when she laid her eyes on her lively housemates. Another first-year patted the spot on the bench next to them, welcoming her.

Adhara watched Roisin as she marched up to her seat, and as she peeked at her one last time.

She hoped Millie didn't notice that last glance, since it was very obvious, but of course, she wasn't so lucky.

"You're going to tell me about this one day," Millie remarked once the meal arrived.

Adhara idly played with her dinner. "I thought I didn't have to tell you anything if I don't want to."

"Oh, so there is something."

Adhara frowned, stabbing her fork into her chicken. She was losing her grip.

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If there was one thing Harry and Ron had in common, it was their impulsiveness. Neither of the of the two ever thought before acting. It's what made them such a great team (or a bad one, according to Hermione).

Whereas Harry grew in a very quiet household and hated it, Ron grew up in a chaotic one and thrived in it. It was the kind of environment both of them came up with the best of their ideas (or worst, according to Adhara).

In a big family, impulsiveness is what got one through. When food was placed on the table, one did not have the time to question whether said food was something they liked or not. You grabbed first and asked questions later. Otherwise, you might just end up with no food whatsoever.

Consequences weren't the first thing that ran through Ron's mind when he made a decision. He planned how to reach B from A, nothing more, nothing less.

But there was one thing people tended to overlook about Ron's impulsive nature. And that was that he learned from experience. It didn't matter if the plan sounded stupid, to begin with. How would you know if it really was illogical or not unless you tried it first?

Harry thought exactly the same way. However, unlike him, Ron had another aspect that added to the mix.

Raised by Molly Weasley, and growing up amongst several siblings, Ron developed a habit of taking care of others. One he did without even realizing.

It wasn't a very obvious trait, the unruly behaviour that was normal for any 12-year-old somehow overshadowing it. But it was there, and it was deep-seated.

It was noticeable in the way Ron gave Harry his sandwich on the train when it was all he had; in the way, he stayed back during the chess game down the trap door, in the way he made sure his friends ate when their heads were elsewhere (homework for Hermione, and quidditch for Harry) and in the way he ruffled Harry's hair the same way as his brothers did to him.

That, along with his impulsiveness, was the reason behind his detentions, his unwillingness to trust those who might potentially hurt those close to him, and overall why he got into trouble.

It was also the reason why Harry hadn't brought up the cupboard to him. He saw how Ron thought it to be a good idea to fly an unapproved magical car to Surrey to save him when he got the slightest indication that Harry might be in trouble. Only Merlin knew what he'd do when he finds out about Uncle Dursley's habit of using a belt.

Harry thought it better to leave it at that.

━━━━

Harry was swarmed into a hug the minute he stepped foot into the Great Hall. He peaked over the unruly mop of curls to meet black hair and a death glare.

Harry gulped.

Hermione let go of him to take a look at his face. "Where on earth were you two? We scoured through the entire train looking for you! We were so worried!"

Harry pushed Hermione back and stood closer to Ron, who had been beside him the whole time. He liked Hermione lots but much less when she was angry. And he was certain she would be angry when she hears about the flying car.

Millicent, who was calmly checking her chipped nails from behind Hermione, chimed in, "These two were the ones who were worried. I assumed you two were going to apparate like some other students."

Adhara took a step next to Hermione, expression still dark. "You did apparate, right? There wasn't anything else?" she asked, obviously suspicious.

Harry couldn't blame her. After what happened with the troll, the dragon, the three-headed dog and bloody Voldemort the previous year, he knew Adhara didn't trust him, much less Ron, to make a rational decision. Apparating to the grounds sounded way too sensible.

He didn't want to lie to her. She was going to find out anyway, so he approached with a different technique. "We-well. Sorta? We did appear here. Landed right in front of the castle even."

Adhara gave him a disbelieving look. It was the same one she gave him countless times over the summer when Harry would assure her that his relatives weren't that bad. Her face would be completely devoid of any emotion, and yet she somehow managed to look like she wanted to smack him.

It turned out she didn't need to. Hermione smacked Ron and him both right after the howler disintegrated. Adhara didn't even look surprised.

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Adhara was sat, legs crossed, on the floor of her dorm room, emptying her trunk as she listened to Millie from her spot. The girl sat on Adhara's bed, painting her nails a new colour with a plate of cookies beside her (which she managed to steal from the kitchens).

Adhara threw a glance at the bed next to hers, where her friend had unceremoniously dumped her trunk.

"Aren't you going to unpack?" Greengrass and Parkinson were nowhere to be seen. It was the perfect opportunity to get all her things sorted without having to worry about any disruption.

"Maybe later."

"And by that, you mean never."

"I'll have to pack again for the Yuletide holidays anyway," she shrugged.

Adhara started sorting her textbooks. Organizing them on the shelf on her desk, when she picked up her Defence one. "What do you know about this Lockhart?"

Millicent finished off one of her hands. "Super popular amongst women. My aunty adores him." She blew on her nails to dry them.

"And you?"

"Couldn't care less. Mione's all heart eyes, though."

Adhara scrunched her nose at the thought. "Think he'll be a good teacher?"

Millie opened another bottle of different colour polish for her other hand. "He made all of his own books mandatory for his classes. Basically using school to force us to buy his expansive books."

"So, you think he's full of himself?"

"Oh, without a doubt."

Adhara groaned. She slammed her trunk shut, sitting on top of it. She had a feeling that class was going to be dreadful this year. Again.

"I don't know anything about his teaching skills, though. He's supposed yo have accomplished a lot of things, so maybe he is a better teacher." Millie closed the lid of her nail polish bottle and crawled towards her roommate, brushing off cookie crumbs off the bed on her way.

"We shall see tomorrow."

Millie shoved her hand into her field of vision, showing her her nails. Adhara took her hands in her own, making sure the fabric of her gloves didn't smudge the polish.

"Emerald green and silver?"

"Couldn't choose. You like?"

She nodded. "Suits you."

Millie looked smug.

"Very Slytherin."

"What can I say, Salazar had good taste."

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"Immobulus!" screamed Hermione. The pixies abruptly froze, putting an end to their mischief. Their dainty little purple bodies were aimlessly floating in the air, confusion written all over their faces.

Lockhart peeked out of his office when he noticed the lack of noise.

The sudden silence made the previous chaotic state of the room feel miles away. It made Harry's ears ring. He thought he saw Ron smack a pixie with his textbook for good measure from the corner of his eye. Across the room, he saw Millicent do the same.

Ron noticed him looking and only shrugged at his action. His eyes then landed on Harry's robes and on their dishevelled state. Completely ignoring the fact that his own robes were in a similar, if not worst, condition, he began to adjust them.

Harry let him. It still surprised him when Hermione and Ron did that, but it was an act he greatly appreciated. He peeked over the locks of red hair to check on his other friends.

Adhara got out from her spot under her desk, readjusting her school robes. She gave one nod to Harry before shifting her attention on their professor, looking like she wanted to claw Lockhart's head off. Harry couldn't blame her. He wished to do the same.

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Adhara still hadn't opened Regulus' diary. The letters were addressed to her, the diary was not. The letters were full of messages her father wanted her to know, and the diary most probably wasn't. The man in the letters was the closest thing to a family she ever had, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to let go of him if she had to.

Adhara didn't like lying, especially not to her own self. Avoiding the diary strangely felt like lying to herself.

She couldn't lie, but she couldn't open the diary. So she did the next best thing. She hid. She stored the diary away at the bottom of her trunk, putting several charms on it so as to not think about it.

She wasn't lying. Not really. She was hiding. And right now, that didn't feel as bad.

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"You did what?"

Harry blinked a few times as he took in his friends bewildered expressions. They were on their way to Hagrid's, dragging their little feet over the cemented stairs when the topic of their summer hold came up. Somehow, Harry managed to blurt out about his little habit of waving a wand under his cousin's nose whenever the boy got on his nerves.

His friends, Hermione more specifically, didn't seem to approve. Harry felt a familiar chill rise in the pit of his stomach when he met the look his friend was giving him.

"It's—it's not like I was ever planning on doing anything"

"That doesn't matter! Threatening someone—scaring someone like that—is never right!"

Harry glanced over at Ron, eyes pleading.

The said boy'a eyes shifted from one to the other, before he finally resigned. He held Hermione arm to get her attention.

"Come on, 'Mione. It's not like he did anything. He only said he was going to give him a pig's tail."

"You knew about this?!"

"We-well he may have hinted towards it at the station last year?"

"Ron! Harry, I cannot—"

"It's really isn't that bad. My uncle and aunt aren't that great of folks anyway, a little scare wouldn't affect them much."

"Oh come on, Harry. Just because they're a little strict, it doesn't mean you get to go around threatening them with your wand to have your own way," said Hermione because she didn't know any better. "They can't possibly be that bad."

But Ron did. He knew that the Dursley's didn't like it when Harry's friends called them. He wandered why all of Harry's school supplies had been shoved inside the cupboard under the stair. He noticed the bars that were put on his windows.

Ron couldn't help but be suspicious, which must have reflected perfectly across his features because Harry already had his hands out, denying everything.

"No no no! You're right, they aren't that bad, it's just." Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, all I did was scare Dudley a bit. I never did it with the intention of actually hurting him or anything. It wasn't that bad."

"Still, that wasn't a very nice." Ron pulled on her arm. Hermione threw him a look, ready to shove him off but the expression the redhead wore stopped her in her track.

Ron's hand tightened around her elbow.

Harry huffed. "I only ever did it to defend myself."

Hermione felt incredulous, but she gave Ron the benefit of the doubt and decided to let it go. "Oh. Well. Then—then I suppose it's not too bad."

Ron came to her aid. "Yeah, but it was kinda umm—"

"Sneaky."

"Yeah. Quite sneaky. Cunning, you could say."

"So?" Harry still couldn't figure out why that was wrong.

"Kinda like a—"

"A snake."

Harry frowned. Ahh, he thought. He did not like the sound of that.

━━━━

"Did you do it? How'd it go?"

Adhara tried out for the chaser position for the Slytherin quidditch team. She had been practicing all summer, with the help of some of the Aleyne kids she managed to.....gently convince.

She knew she was good. It was obvious she was. She scored the most points during the tryouts, against the current Slytherin keeper, no less.

And yet.

"No. I didn't make it."

Adhara was furious when she marched up to her friends in the courtyard. The trio was sat on a bench, and even Millie was joined with Hermione.

"What? How?"

"Malfoy made seeker. Daddy dearest bought out the entire team. With new brooms." She was still in full gear, didn't even bother to put the old school broom back with the other equipment before running to complain to her friends. Not that she would ever admit that.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a look.

"What's it got do with you? You tried out for chaser, no?"

"It means, Weasley," she huffed and threw her broom on the grass in front of the group, "that Malfoy convinced Flint to not take me on the team."

Now Weasley didn't like Adhara. Not a lot. He didn't like Millicent either. But Malfoy was a common enemy, so it didn't bother him to admit that this was completely unfair:

"That git."

Adhara took off her elbow pads and threw them next to her broom, plopping herself down on the grass. She took deep breaths to calm her down whilst Hermione joined her on the ground.

Millie took up Hermione's previous spot next to Harry. "So. What are you gonna do now?"

Adhara huffed once more before glaring at no one in particular.

"Show them they were wrong, of course."

Millie smirked.

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