"Girl's Day"

-IT WAS NOW THE NEXT WEEK. Adhara, who was in the library, frowned when she noticed someone sitting in front of her, but didn't look up from the book in her hands. "I suggest you leave, Potter senior."

"I've missed that name," mused James Potter, sighing when she ignored him. "C'mon, Addie. I want to prove to you that I'm worthy of being a good godfather."

"Sev's my godfather."

James rolled his eyes at the mention of Snape. "I'm the choice godfather, he's the legal one." He explained as if it was obvious.

"You're a self-made godfather." Adhara pointed out with an eye-roll.

"Exactly. Choice godfather. My choice." James grinned.

She rolled her eyes again, but this time with a sigh.

The sigh contained feelings that Adhara tried to hide. Feelings like exhaustion, which the man immediately noticed.

James swallowed his pity, knowing the girl would never accept that sort of emotion towards her. "Anyways, I was thinking we should have a girl's day."

She finally looked up from the book in her hands and raised an eyebrow. "You do know that you're not a girl, right?" She slowly asked, almost as if she was worried James had forgotten.

"I'm married to Lily Evans. I'm pretty sure I know how to spend a girl's day even without being a girl."

"Or you can just leave me alone and let me be." She suggested hopefully with a shrug.

James' stupid grin didn't falter. On the contrary, it only grew. "Nope." He said, popping the 'p'. "You and I are having a girl's day. Let's go."

Even though Adhara would never admit it, she actually missed James and Lily, and even Remus. Which wasn't actually surprising because only they tried checking up on her (more Remus than the Potter couple, but that was alright).

Harry, however, was there for her more than the whole family.

But she owed James an explanation as to why she was ignoring him. Yes, she went through something traumatizing, but he did try to check up on her and remind her that she wasn't alone- which she still ignored, not really believing him.

Which was also why the two were in Hogsmeade, where it was packed with other students as it was already a Hogsmeade weekend. James had also planned to take her to a muggle mall in a few hours, but she didn't know yet.

"Three Broomsticks first?" recommended James, already looking excited. He rubbed his hands together, almost looking like a child who tasted their first ever candy.

Adhara rolled her eyes fondly, but nodded. "Sure, whatever."

James took a sip of his butterbeer, choking on it when Adhara asked, "Let's cut to the chase, Potter Senior. Why have you asked me for a girl's day? What's the deal here?"

"What do you mean?" He innocently asked. "I just want to get to know my goddaughter."

"I'm not your goddaughter." stated Adhara coolly. "And you had years to get to know me." Her face fell as she said that sentence, many emotions passing through her face as she started zoning out.

"Addie-" he tried, but was cut off by her.

"You want to know why I'm ignoring you all, don't you?"

James swallowed and nodded, knowing he couldn't lie. "I want to know where we went wrong. More specifically, where I went wrong."

She snapped back to reality, avoiding eye contact as she answered, "None of you did something wrong.. Atleast not you, Lily, Harry, or Remus, anyway."

He cleared his throat, preparing for a question he had been wanting to ask for a while now. "What about.. Sirius?"

Adhara finally made eye contact with him.

Her eyes looked so exhausted, almost as if she had seen things she shouldn't have seen. Which was actually the case, unfortunately.

"If I tell the truth, will you finally leave me alone so I can go back?"

"I didn't plan a whole day for us together just so I can ask about what's going on between you and Sirius, Addie. I planned this day because I wanted to get to know you. I want you to know that you're not alone."

Her shoulders slumped. "My dad broke my heart before any girl had the chance to."

James frowned in pity, while her eyes teared up. "Oh, Adhara.. he doesn't- he doesn't know what to do. Sirius was never the lovey-dovey type. He was more of a bad-boy kinda guy. It's just.. you came into his life so suddenly and he suddenly felt all the guilt in the world. He doesn't know what to do, Adhara."

"He is my father, but I don't know him." Adhara said, face now void of any emotion. The tears in her eyes were now replaced with emptiness. "I don't hate him.. I hate what he did to me. I didn't even know he had the power to hurt me, but he did. He broke my heart when I was five - I remember the day vividly. I asked mother and father where my real parents were and they couldn't lie to me. Then, he broke my heart a decade later, showing me that it would've been best if he never knew I existed."

James stayed quiet throughout her little rant. He sighed when she finished her butterbeer and stood up.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"As you wish, Addie." He said and also stood up, leaving the money on the counter just before he apparated them out of there.

"This might be your worst idea yet," said Adhara as they walked into a nail salon at the mall.

James grinned. "I'll just act like I'm gay. Surely they'll let me in, right?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. However, you're missing the pride flag."

"Pride flag? Gays are supposed to wear pride flags?" asked James, panicking because he didn't have one.

Adhara nodded, trying very hard not to laugh. "You didn't know? Gosh, Potter senior. You've got two gay best friends, a gay son, and a gay goddaughter."

James' grin only grew at the last bit. "Goddaughter?" He asked. She finally called herself his goddaughter!

"I think the pride flags are just over there." She pointed to a shop, not answering his last question.

"I'll be right back!" He excitedly exclaimed and rushed away, not noticing Adhara letting out a snigger.

Adhara's jaw dropped when James Potter walked back over to her with a small pride flag in his hands, a stupid grin on his face. "Good enough?" He asked expectantly.

"Very much so."

"Where's your pride flag?" He frowned in suspicion.

She showed him the pride charm on her bracelet. "Here it is. Nail salon?"

James nodded, looking eager. "Nail salon. Let's go!"

"Should I be surprised that you got black?" asked James, pointing to her newly manicured black nails.

Adhara shrugged. "I think what we both should be surprised about is the fact that you actually got your nails painted."

He grinned, showing his red nails. "I love it."

"It's actually gorgeous," said the girl truthfully, rolling her eyes with a small smile when his grin got wider.

When Adhara was apparated back into Hogwarts, she avoided eye contact as she said, "Thank you for today."

James smiled softly. "Anything for my goddaughter, eh?"

"Choice-goddaughter." She corrected, but only got a laugh in return.