Chapter 5
━━━━━━━━ ✥ ━━━━━━━━

FEAR — ANGER — BETRAYAL. Adhara tried very hard to organise her thoughts, but it wasn't working. The strings detached completely, making her lose her grip on her emotions, which were overwhelming enough that Adhara felt like throwing up.

Matron was a liar. That shouldn't be unexpected news, yet Adhara never saw it coming. Matron was manipulative and cunning; she must've been deceiving them all for years now.

She lied to all the squibs at the orphanage, made them all believe that muggleborns were the cause of their disability.

And they were gullible enough to believe her.

"Disobedience, insolence. What other crimes are you guilty of, Adhara Black?"

Head low, eyes cast down at the woman's feet, Adhara did not dare to look up. Her hands were crossed behind her back, new nail marks already marring them. Adhara tried to get a hold of herself.

"You injured another child today. In all my years at this establishment, I never had to deal with such an infraction."

The woman was standing in front of her desk, in a long purple dress and with a ruler in her hand.

Adhara dared a glance up. It was still day time, but the curtains were drawn, basking the office in darkness. It wasn't fully dark though. A streak of sunlight seeped in through the crack in the curtain, allowing Adhara to properly see Matron's face.

"Just because you are a Black, you think you have the right to reign over the other orphans. Did you forget, Adhara, what kind of people your family was in reality? Dark wizards, Death Eaters."

Harry's words were ringing inside her head.

"Did you forget that that family had abandoned you? That they didn't want anything to do with you?"

Matron lied to you!

And, just like the other orphans, Adhara had been gullible, too.

"You're lying."

If Matron was surprised, she didn't show it. Adhara wasn't the type to mouth off at her, preferring to show her defiance through actions and attitude rather than words. The girl usually played the waiting game: always taking what was thrown at her with no retort whilst simultaneously having that look in her eye that promised misery.

"You know who my godbrother is. You know Sirius Black was released earlier this summer. You didn't think I would ever find out the truth?"

A crease appeared between Matron's brows. She took a step toward Adhara, but the girl didn't budge.

"Is that why you were so upset when Sirius Black escaped?" she continued. "You were afraid I would find out that you never actually contacted him?"

Waiting it out was her way of fighting. Her way of showing that she couldn't be controlled since Matron's words couldn't affect her. Adhara was the one who controlled herself, not her. It was a method that Matron hated because there was no way of opposing it.

Or so Adhara thought. Who would've known that Matron was using a hidden approach to bring her down?

"Why did you do it? How do you benefit from this?"

Matron stopped. She levelled Adhara with a look that made her stomach drop.

The woman leaned down, coming face to face with the Slytherin. She snatched Adhara's chin between two fingers, and, with a voice smooth like silk, she said simply:

"Why not?"

Adhara stilled, her nails unconsciously digging into her palms.

Matron released her, letting Adhara's head bob down in disbelief. She watched the woman step away, looking down at her with a twisted smile playing on her lips.

"Y — you. What?"

That. That was absurd. Matron was a woman of pride. A woman of transaction. She didn't make any decision unless it benefitted her in some way. She was resourceful like that. There was nothing she did out of pure fancy.

All these years, Adhara believed the woman's lies. She was gullible enough to even let her words affect her. And all this time, Matron was simply enjoying the show.

It had to be a lie.

"Is this what you do to all of us? Lie to us for no reason? Deceive and manipulate us for your own entertainment?"

Matron arched a brow. "Lie to you all? I never lied to anyone else. Only you."

Adhara narrowed her eyes. "You told Jakob that muggleborns stole his magic. You made him believe that ridiculous lie."

"What lie? I only spoke the truth, dear."

"You—" Shocked, it took a second for Adhara to find her words. "You cannot honestly believe that."

Matron scoffed. She walked to one side of the office and then paced back to the other side as she spoke: "Mudbloods," she said with disdain, "they infiltrate our world and try to change everything to suit their needs, as though it belonged to them in the first place."

"Pretending to be witches, taking our places, taking our magic," she swirled around, darting towards Adhara in an instant. Matron raised a finger at her. "If it weren't for those filths, I wouldn't have been born like this. I wouldn't even be here!"

Adhara stumbled back, breath catching in her throat.

Right then, pieces started to fall into place. Adhara finally understood why the woman never used magic to warm up the orphanage. She always believed it was simply out of cruelty, but now she knew it was because there was no other way.

"You. Y — you're a squib," Adhara realised, voice barely above a whisper.

She now understood why this place always felt so empty, so inert. Why she never felt any ounce of magic surge through the corridors.

Matron's eyes flared with fury. "If it weren't for them, I would have had magic!"

Matron was the picture definition of prim and proper. Never a stray hair out of place, her dress always neat and ironed. She always looked put together, her calloused hands being the only indication of her real status.

Even now, she seemed. It was as though she took her time to get ready before showing up to punish whoever dared to step out of line.

The difference now was the mad look she was currently donning.

"That makes no sense. You're insane!"

A manic sort of smile overtook Matron's face. "Ah, but dear Adhara. Doesn't insanity run in the family?"

Adhara's brows furrowed, not following what she meant.

Suddenly, Matron grabbed Adhara's hair from the back, yanking it to make the girl look up at her.

Adhara groaned out in pain.

"Adhara, Adhara Black. You have filthy blood running through your veins, and I do not. Yet, why were you destined to wield the family name when I couldn't?"

Adhara's eyes went wide. "You — you —"

She gave Adhara another pull. "Mariam Black used to be my name. Until my father decided I was a disgrace and blasted me off the tapestry."

She didn't even allow Adhara to fully register the new information before pulling the girl by her hair and dragging her out of the room.

Adhara didn't need to think twice to know where they were headed.

━━━━

At the end of Anne-De-Lisse Alley, there was a gate. A small gate that was once painted black, but now, after years of misery, has chipped off, revealing the rusted metal underneath. It wasn't a large gate, wide enough to let someone in but too narrow to let anyone out. Neither did it stand very tall, forcing Remus to duck his head when passing through the unlocked gate. Otherwise, his tall figure would surely hit the letters hung overhead:

ALEYNE

House for Orphans

Remus covered his nose with a handkerchief, trying its best to block out the sickening stench that seemed to ooze from every crack of the dark lane.

The alley almost felt like a test. Every single one of Remus' instincts was telling him to turn back. When he stepped into a puddle and realised as he took his foot out that the liquid was too thick to be water, the splash echoed a sound that seemed to sing: go back. When he walked past a stout woman, rummaging through the garbage, seemingly unaffected by the smell, she looked up with striking eyes and hissed words that, to Remus' ears, sounded awfully like get away!

Sirius seemed unfazed. Or perhaps, he really was. When the man caught Remus' questioning gaze, he simply shrugged.

"Place's not so different from when Orion used to take me to Knockturn Alley."

Remus wanted to point out how Knockturn Alley was surely less filthy than this.

But Remus did not budge. He walked straight on without looking back. Adhara and Harry were at the end of this seemingly endless alley. All the obstacles the alley threw at him only made him want to reach the orphanage even quicker.

Aleyne stood right behind the gate, the true end of the alley. Unlike the gate, this building didn't look like it would collapse. Old, surely it was very old if the style of architecture had anything to say for it. Made out of stone bricks, the sturdy house stood a few metres taller than the rest of the houses of Anne-De-Liss.

One should definitely be able to see such a tall building even from outside of the neighbourhood, standing out against the other buildings. But Remus didn't remember seeing anything. He didn't feel the effects of a confounding spell when he approached the orphanage thus he wondered how the sight could have escaped him.

And on the other side of the gate, stood four boys, three heads of red hair surrounding a stout lanky boy with black hair, making him stand out. They looked as though they were waiting for them.

━━━━

Yaritza watched helplessly at the end of the stairs, Thomas hiding behind her. As Matron approached, dragging Adhara behind her by the girl's hair, Yaritza broke out of her stupor, shooing Thomas to hide elsewhere, and the boy complied.

Matron opened her mouth to say something, right as someone knocked heavily at the front door. The woman's gaze snapped back. She glared, lips curling in, almost like she knew who it was.

Matron's eyes fell on Yaritza once more, her grip tightening around Adhara's hair, who yelped in pain. Yaritza did her best not to look at her.

"Deal with whoever's at the door."

Yaritza's eyes were shining. Fear was stuck in her throat. "Yes, Matron," she choked out.

"Don't allow them to come in."

"Of course."

Yaritza waited until the woman was out of sight. Until she heard the door of the Furnace Room click shut. And then she bolted for the front door.

"You'll put us all in trouble if you open the door," she heard someone say from behind her.

Yaritza had been here long enough to recognise each and every one of them by their voice. Jakob Gamp did not scare her until now, and he wasn't going to start.

"No. I'm putting myself in danger." Yaritza stayed back at Aleyne for a reason, and this was that. She looked back at the boy. "Whether you want to admit it or not, Jakob, we are together in this. All of us."

Jakob looked uncomfortable, but he didn't argue with her.

"Go hide. And send Roisin down."

━━━━

When the door opened, Sirius was faced with a girl dressed all in white. She fixed him with a glare so fierce, Sirius froze.

"Took you long enough."

Sirius stumbled back. Some part of him, the defiant part of him wanted to argue back that it hasn't even been a week since he got his freedom, but he fought against it and swallowed down whatever retort he had. After all, the girl wasn't wrong.

Harry poked his head out from behind him. "Where is Adhara?" he demanded.

Unwavering, Yaritza simply glanced at him as though she already knew he was there. She looked back at Sirius.

"She...Matron took her to the Furnace Room."

Eyes doubling in size, Harry tried to barge in, only for the girl to block his way. "I can't let you come in."

Harry looked about to scream. Remus put a hand on the boy's shoulder, stepping in. "Please, listen, Miss..?"

The girl eyed him. She didn't trust him. She didn't seem to trust any of them at all, but she must have seen no harm in giving her name.

"Yartiza. Yaritza Shafiq."

Sirius drew in a sharp breath. Shafiq was part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They were an Egyptian pureblood family that moved to Britain in the 30s. With beauty that was said to rival even the Black Family, the Shafiq's quickly gained popularity within the wizarding Britain upper class. They were known for their impossibly long hair which they maintained with magic.

It didn't take a genius to put together why the girl was here.

Remus must not have realised it, yet. "My apologies. I was a professor at Hogwarts, but I don't think I remember you?"

Yaritza Shafiq rolled her eyes. "Hogwarts doesn't accept my sorts."

Sirius swallowed down his anger.

Harry had apparently had enough of the dawdling. He pushed past Sirius and Remus, trying to barge in once more.

"Get out of the way, I —"

Yaritza simply pushed him back. "Potter. As much as it pains me to say this, Adhara isn't the only one I've got to look after, here."

As though on cue, a child, a boy with blond hair and green eyes, poked out from underneath the girl's arm. And another one, a girl who looked a few years younger than Shafiq, appeared on the side.

"Professor Lupin?"

Remus' eyes went wide. "Roisin? What — what are you—"

Yaritza picked up the boy, who eyed them suspiciously before shoving his face in the crook of her neck. She simply adjusted him on her hip, as though used to it.

She looked at Sirius. "If you barge in right now, we will all get in trouble. But there's another way inside the Furnace Room."

She looked at Roisin, shoving something in her hand and gesturing to her to go out.

"Yara—"

"The Furnace Room is just the cellar. There's an outside entrance through the back. Roisin will show you."

"Yaritza, I don't think—"

Yaritza gave the younger girl a look, who instantly shut up.

"From there, you need to carry her to the apparating point at the front of the alley."

Sirius and Remus had tried to apparate right at the entrance of the orphanage before, only to realise it wasn't letting them. Almost like something was stopping them. It's why it took them much longer to get here than anticipated.

"Why can't we apparate here?"

The girl pulled her bottom lip between her teeth in contemplation. "There are wards around the area. Ancient wards. But no one's been taking care of them, so they make magic...a bit wonky here."

Sirius didn't point out how she was deliberately not giving them all the information.

"Simple spells are fine. But apparition doesn't work. And even if it did—"

"It would result in splinching," finished Remus. He looked over at Sirius. "Right then, shall we?"

"Wait," broke in Yaritza. "I'll need one of you to stay here and distract Matron, while the others take Adhara. It'll prevent any confrontation."

Sirius scoffed, finally giving away to his anger. Not at Yaritza, of course. But at this Matron. Because as much as the girl tried to hide, Sirius could see just how scared she was. She was determined, Sirius would give her that, but her hands were trembling, and her eyes were shiny. All three of them looked underfed and dirty and scared and—

"I wouldn't mind a bit of confrontation," declared Sirius, hands around his wand.

"Magic doesn't work here properly, as I've mentioned."

"I don't need magic to confront—"

"That would only result in more punishments for us." Yaritza glared at him, as though daring him to retort to that. But Sirius couldn't reply to that. "You can come with me," she told Sirius. "I — I'll say I couldn't hold you back. Your Adhara's guardian, so she'll believe me. Meanwhile, the rest of you can get Adhara out."

She gestured to the other girl — Roisin — who finally led Remus and Harry towards the cellar. Remus gave Sirius one last look before following Harry, who was already running towards the back of the building. The Weasleys were waiting for them at the apparating point.

"Won't she punish you for letting me in though?"

Yaritza didn't reply, but Sirius already knew the answer.

━━━━

"Why hasn't Matron been taking care of the wards?" asked Sirius as he entered the orphanage, letting the door close behind him.

Yaritza didn't turn around. She put the boy down from her arms, who struggled a bit and ultimately scurried away, not without throwing a glare at Sirius.

She led him to the other end of the corridor, behind the staircase where there was a beaten looking wooden door.

With a low voice, she whispered: "She's like me. She doesn't have magic."

━━━━

Matron yanked open the door to the furnace, where the fire burned hot, already. Adhara observed, eyes wide, her vision starting to become blurry, and she let it happen.

━━━━

Early on during his childhood, Remus Lupin figured out just how hypocritical the world was.

It dawned on him one morning when he watched his father put on his tie in front of the mirror, as he did every morning. Remus would smile as his father ruffled the hair atop his tiny head. He would smile as his father assured him that he would fight to make this world safe for him.

Though, his father seemed to have forgotten that the lycanthrope rules and regulations that he wholeheartedly supported would one day work against his own son's favour.

Throughout his life, Remus continuously observed such patterns of hypocrisy. Although in Lyall Lupin's case, it may have been unintentional, it didn't change the fact that it was hypocritical.

Most people who sided with the Light shared the same belief as Lyall. That, even though werewolves were indeed people, they were also creatures, and therefore they needed to keep a close eye on them.

At least, the Dark was more forthright with their opinions. They didn't even hide that they thought werewolves were a lesser, more unintelligent breed of people. Even the use of the word 'people' was a stretch for them.

Unlike the Light, who hid their prejudice under the guise of fear, trying to regulate the rights of a "person suffering from lycanthropy" to ensure the safety of both the "diseased" and the "healthy".

In a twisted kind of way, Remus thought it was amusing. The irony of it all managed to startle a peal of laughter out of him from time to time.

When it came to muggleborn rights, the Wizengamot was always divided. The Light fought for muggle rights, voting against the Dark. But when it came to Lycanthrope rights, the votes were always unanimous.

Werewolves were dangerous and violent creatures. They couldn't be trusted with people, and therefore, they needed to be kept at bay to ensure the safety of others.

And in some way, sadly, Remus believed them too.

━━━━

Remus waited, the door to the cellar slightly ajar, for the old woman to get out of the way. He held onto Harry with one hand because Remus knew that the reckless boy would run into the room without thinking if he didn't.

There was a cold block of ice that settled in the pit of his stomach. Remus did his best to school his thoughts but fear was too stubborn of a parasite, refusing to detach from him. But Remus persevered. He forced his breathing to be more quiet, watching Matron with fervent, watching her every move, tracking her by the millisecond because Adhara—

Because Adhara was right there, quiet and pliant and frozen. Remus couldn't see her face, her hair was in the way. But he noticed how dishevelled it looked, almost as though someone was yanking her around.

"Pr — professor —"

The fire blazed wildly from within the furnace. The matron opened the rusty door, grabbed a pair of tongs and—

"—what's happening? Are you ok?"

—pulled out a piece of coal, snatched Adhara's arm to her and—

Remus smacked his hand over Harry's eyes. But the boy immediately shoved it off.

"Professor? Professor!"

—and there was a knock on the door, snatching the woman's attention away—

"Remus!"

Harry violently shook him, forcing the man out of his trance. Remus looked back, noticing the kid's wide eyes. Slowly, Remus' senses came back to him, starting with his hearing, which he didn't notice had waned down to a sharp ringing before. He finally noticed his loud breathing, quick short breaths that bordered on hyperventilating.

No wonder the kid looks scared out of his mind.

Belatedly, Remus noticed the tight grip he had on the boy, making a new surge of anxiety to bubble up, yet Harry wasn't trying to pull away.

Remus snatched his hand away. "Harry, your arm—" he was a werewolf, for God's sake. He was stronger than the average person, how could he have been—

"It's fine."

"—let me have a look."

"It's fine!"

Remus looked at Harry. Really looked at him. And he saw that the boy was downright afraid. Angry, yes, but Harry practically wore anger like a shield, and that was nothing new. But the fear? Wild pupils dancing around, harsh breathing, trembling fists? Remus knew fear all too well.

He glanced back at the cellar door.

Right.

"Harry, when we go down there, and when you see Adhara—"

"Is Matron gone?"

"Yes, but Haz—"

He didn't let Remus finish. Harry yanked the door open and rushed in without even thinking.

━━━━

Harry grabbed Adhara by her shoulders, shaking her. "Adz?! Adhara!"

"Woah, woah, let's calm down for a minute," instructed Remus, but from what Harry saw outside, it was all just a front. The man felt just as unnerved as he did.

The woman — Matron — was right outside the door, and they didn't know how long Sirius would be able to distract her. They didn't have long to take Adhara out of here but the girl was completely unresponsive.

"She's detached," Harry realized. He noticed the glassy eyes, the short breaths. It — it looked like — she — it wasn't like Harry knew what he looked like when he detached, but if he had to guess, it would be this.

"What?"

"Detached. She — uhm — she —"

"Went away?"

Harry looked at Remus, who watched him with something akin to sadness. He didn't tell the man that he detached too, often. But Harry supposed it was obvious, with how understanding he seemed.

And the situation called for it, didn't it? Harry definitely would have detached if someone burned him with coal, and he thought that was nothing he could do about.

There was a hand on the back of his neck, running up and down. When Harry focused back, Remus was pouring water in glass with his wand.

Did he — did he just...?

"I need you to stay attached, Harry. Just for a bit longer. Can you do that?"

Without thinking, Harry nodded.

Adhara was gulping down the water, eyes closed tight. When she finished, she heaved in a deep breath which trailed into a coughing fit.

Remus filled the glass again, placing it between Adhara's hands. "Hold it. It's cold."

Adhara was in no position to refuse.

"Let's get out of here, hmm?"

"N — no. Ha — Harry."

"I'm right here."

"No."

Harry and Remus exchanged glances. Remus took one of Adhara's hands in his.

"Where would you like to go, then?"

Adhara blinked.

━━━━

Sirius had the oddest sensation that he was back to being fourteen-years-old, stuck at Grimmauld Place as his mother stared him down.

The woman looked awfully like her. Grey hair instead of black pulled tightly into a bun and a scornful look in her eye. Though, whereas Walburga Black was the definition of prim and proper, Matron Hallewell looked dishevelled.

Like she had done something physically strenuous.

(Though, what Sirius didn't know was that Matron was also the definition of prim and proper, she had just lost her control.)

She glanced behind Sirius, throwing a stern look at Yaritza. Sirius could see the woman's jaw clenching and unclenching. He couldn't see Yaritza, but he heard her when she spoke.

"He wouldn't listen. Insisted on seeing his niece, and pushed past me."

The sentence made it seem like the girl had no control over the situation, which was good because they had to make it seem like she didn't. Though, that wouldn't stop Hallewell from punishing her.

Sirius could easily barge past the woman, and take Adhara away himself, causing a scene. But that would mean angering Hallewell. And if she was anything like Walburga, then, without a specific target, that anger would be directed at all of the children.

This way, only one of them will be punished. And sadly, for these kids, this was the best outcome.

"Mr. Black. What a pleasure to meet you."

Sure, it is.

"You must be Madam Hallewell, my niece—"

"Matron," she cut off, "I don't like Madam."

Sirius pressed his lips together. "Right." He glanced at the door behind Hallewell, where he knew Adhara was currently. He hoped Remus was getting to escaping with her right about now.

"I am here to see my niece. I was given this address—"

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, Mr. Black."

"Excuse me?" Sirius knew that the situation was somewhat hypothetical. He was going to see Adhara in a moment whether the woman liked it or not, but she was getting on his nerves.

"I understand that you are her uncle, but you see, her mother left her under my care."

Every word she spoke oozed with contempt. It was obvious that Hallewell was a prideful woman, someone who believed themselves superior to others, or at least, someone who abused children to make themselves feel superior.

Sirius supposed that was where the similarities between Hallewell and his mother ended.

Walburga didn't abuse Sirius and Regulus to feel superior, she knew that she was. She mistreated her children to keep them aligned to her worldviews.

Hallewell wasn't the same. If Yaritza's words were true, it meant that the woman was a squib. She was scorned by society. Hallewell reigned over these children to feel above them.

Both were terrible, terrifying women who shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near children. Both were egotistical women full of disdain.

It irked Sirius to know that his niece had to go through the same as he and his brother did.

"I see," he said to Hallewell. "Well, you may believe that if you like. But it doesn't really matter."

"Oh?"

Sirius could see the ire in Hallewell's eyes grow. It made him smile.

"The Wizengamot has given me custody of my niece. So, no matter what you want," he advanced a few steps, making the woman step back. She was tall, but not taller than Sirius. "I will be taking her now."

Hallewell jutted her chin out, crossing her arms. "You are trespassing, Mr. Black."

Sirius chuckled. "I am really really not. Not when you are withholding my niece from me. That is called kidnapping, you know?"

"It doesn't change the fact that you are on my property, without my permission. Considering your past, I assume you know that breaking and entering is a crime?"

"Charges of abuse are much worse."

Hallewell scowled.

"You think I don't know about the so-called 'Furnace Room'?" He felt his anger steadily rise. "You think I don't know about the marks on my niece's hands? You think I don't know what's happening behind that door at this very moment!?"

Hallewell narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "You will not be seeing your niece today, Mr. Black. I suggest you leave."

"And I suggest you search for a lawyer. Because I will be seeing you in court."

He turned around, walking back to the front door. Remus has had sufficient time to have escaped with Adhara already. And besides. What was an old woman going to do against two war-trained wizards?

Matron Hallewell followed him. "You will find that even if you present a convincing case to the Wizengamot, the outcome may not be what you hope for."

Plenty of times Sirius has to resort to his words as a weapon. Even during duals, when his wand was more than enough, Sirius couldn't help but throw in a jab or two.

But never in his life did he think he would one day use his name as one too.

"You forget who you are talking to"

He could hear the amusement in her voice. "What is one single lord against a few others?"

Sirius glared. She sounded very sure that there would be other families opposing him. Just how many people knew about Aleyne, yet kept their mouths shut?

Sirius turned around, whipping out his wand and directing towards the woman's face. She froze instantly.

"Let me correct myself. You forget which Lord you are talking to."

The smirk on Hallewell's face was wiped off immediately.

With that as his last words, Sirius left.

━━━━

Remus was carrying Adhara on his back. Harry was breathless from running all the way through the alley. Sirius joined them midway, and they all met up with the Weasleys at the apparating point.

"You think you can apparate with her on your back?"

"Yes."

Sirius nodded. "I'll bring Harry first, then come back for the Weasleys."

"We're going to the Grangers," Remus announced.

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just go, for now."

━━━━━━━━ ✥ ━━━━━━━━

A/N Listen, fandom wiki says there was a guy name Marius Black who was disowned for being a squib. For the sake of this story, it was Mariam Black, okay? Okay.

Also, she was born later, not the 20s.