You are my secret. My beautiful little secret.

First Year II

"There you are!" Adhara's attention was driven away from her book as soon as her brother's voice was right in her ear. She jumped at the sudden weight on her back. She grinned when she felt the familiar skinny arms of her brother's wrap around her neck pulling her into his chest.

"Sirius," she shrieked. "I can't breathe." She struggled to get out of his hold. Sirius finally let's go.

"I came to fetch you for dinner, Addie," he told her, grabbing Adhara by the forearm pulling her from her seat on the bench in the courtyard.

"It's not like I can eat with you," she pouts. Adhara finally noticed the other boys behind her brother, watching the siblings in their normal fashion with each other. James, she recalled the one who is always joking with her brother, looked the most put out and staring at them with jealousy.

"I wish I had a little sister," James juts out his lower lip dramatically.

Adhara couldn't help but laugh at his dramatics. She sees her older brother in him yet rather more playful than Sirius.

"There is plenty of me to go around," the words spilled out her mouth before she can stop it. Usually, it takes a while for her to be this opened to somone—especaially a male.

James' face broke into a grin. Instantly, she was jumped on by the boy who threw his arms around her.

"I like this one," he said to Sirius. "Seems that I gained a little sister."

It was easy for someone who observed enough in just a short amount of time to know that Sirius rather depends on Adhara. It became shocking to Remus as he noticed through dinner but it's not like he known Sirius that long. Sirius always kept an eye on her. It's only been a couple of weeks and he only knows the playful side with his guard up of Sirius.

Adhara is quiet yet observant like himself. Her gray eyes focused on her brother as he joked with James and Frank Longbottom. He also noticed how her cheeks flushed when she caught Fabian Prewitt looking at her. Luckily, Sirius didn't catch that since he was then too busy stuffing his face with mash potatoes.

Adhara was not what he expected after seeing her without the expensive clothing and straightened hair. It was like the same with Sirius. Once he opened his mouth, it was jokes and teasing and laughter. He had a regal handsomeness to him—esspecailly with his expensive attire when they first me. But now here he is, hair a bit messy with a mouth stuffed with food.

It was the same with Adhara. Now her hair, which has been that way for weeks, is a mass of wild curls that is a force to be reckoned with. Freckles upon freckles on her face and gray eyes that have never left James or Sirius.

Sirius paused with his eating when he looked over at Adhara's plate. A frown taking over his profile.

"Addie," he scolds her as he takes her plate and then puts a few slices of ham and two spoons of mash potatoes on it. "There, that's better," he grins when he noticed her angry expression. "What? You need to fatten up."

"As you might not have noticed, I am fattened up," she whispered to him but thanks to Remus…uh…condition he heard it perfectly since the full moon was in three days.

"Adhara, you look very pretty and who ever told you otherwise is a git," a tender voice said from the left of her. All four of the boys and Adhara turned to see who spoke.

Lily Evans.

"Um," Adhara bit her lip, flustered at the sudden compliment. Remus couldn't help but chuckle. For such a pretty girl from such a wealthy and proud family, she gets flustered at a compliment.

"Why thank you, Evans," Sirius throws his arms around Adhara, pulling her in. His cheek pressed right against hers. "We are twins so you must think I'm rather pretty, eh?"

Lily rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"Um, thank you," Adhara finally says.

"Ya know, I have this shampoo and conditioner that does well for curly hair like you own," Lily said.

Remus noticed the confused expression on Adhara's face.

"It's like a potion," he explained to her. "Muggles use it to clean their hair but also make it soft and smell good."

"Oh," she said. She turns to Lily. "May I try it."

"Sure, we can walk to my room together and I'll give it to you."

Gideon was tired of this.

"You should stop being a bird and go talk to her," Gideon hissed to Fabian. They were both now in the common room. Fabian kept glancing up the girls' stairs ever since Adhara followed Lily to her room. He has also been staring at her all through dinner, too. "She's a Hufflepuff so maybe she will forgive you easily and not hold it against you."

"Sod off," Fabian mumbles.

"I think there are spells to make your hair the same way in a shorter amount of time," Adhara said as she ran her fingers through her now softer and less frizzy hair. It was still voluminous and curly yet shiny and bouncy. And the smell of strawberries made it even better.

"Yeah, but I don't know them yet so this would do for the meantime," Lily shrugged.

Adhara figured that Lily was a muggle born after finding out what Shampoo and conditioner is.

"So how's Hufflepuff's students compared to ours?" Mary McDonald asked her.

Adhara shrugged. "They don't talk much about me. But Ted, my prefect, he's pretty nice. He's like a big brother but less annoying like Sirius."

"Oh, I bet. He's a bloody toe rag," Lily grumbled. "Along with Potter and Pettigrew."

"And Remus Lupin?" Adhara asked recalling the sandy-haired boy who sat quietly at the table in front of her.

"He's a nice bloke," said Marlene.

"Speaking of decent blokes," Mary giggles. "Have you lot noticed how Fabian or was it Gideon gawking at Adhara all through dinner?"

Adhara blushed at the thought of what happened an hour ago. She hasn't spoken to him since the train ride and avoided him as much as she could. She already had eyes on her since talking to her muggle-born prefect. It didn't help when Lucius was told to keep an eye on her by her father. Her mother sent her a letter—though she sent a howler to Sirius—showing her disproving of her sorting. Father was less…bothered by it. He actually wrote that he was not shocked on where she was placed but still hoped for her to be in his former house.

"Aw, she's blushing," Lily squeals. "Do you fancy him?"

"I don't even know him," Adhara cries. "And I'm twelve. I don't even want to date boys, yet."

It took over an hour for Adhara to finally leave the dorms and make her way down the stairs. Fabian was the only one left in the common room, surprisingly. Well, not really, since he kicked everyone out and thank god that they listened to the loud joking second year's request.

"Hi," he said to her. She was about to walk past him with no greeting and Fabian didn't blame her. It's not like he didn't offend her on the train when he found out who her family was.

"Hello," she greets him. Her eyes—those bloody gorgeous steel gray eyes—staring straight into his soul. Fabian just started to think girls was okay to hang with and pretty fit but they never made him feel so…vulnerable.

"I was an arse," he finally said. "I was just…you can't blame me but I shouldn't of judged you off the bat as soon I knew who you was."

And just what Fabian expected from a Hufflepuff, she easily forgave him. Adhara gave him a small smile before leaving the common room.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?" she hears behind her. Adhara jumped at the sudden voice and whipped around to see…

Remus, was it? She hasn't talked to him a lot. She knew only of what Sirius would relay.

1. Decent bloke

2. Always reading

3. A secret prankster

4. Brains of the operation

5. Gets sick pretty often

With her regular dinners with Sirius, she was pretty shocked that she hasn't spoken to him as much as she done with Lily or James.

"Aren't those for third years?" he asked her.

"I…I've always had an interest in them," she shrugged. It's pretty common for her to be nervous around any male species. James was easy to joke with since he was practically Sirius 2.0 but way sillier. He's practically her second brother (but she would not say that in front of her parents. Hate how they would be like having him associated to be her blood brother).

Remus nods. It was pretty awkward. Nothing else for them to talk about. Remus could only think of classes. He tried to think of what he talks about with her brother but he shook that thought of his head. Nothing but pranks and quidditch talk.

Remus bit his lower lip nervously before asking, "How are you liking Hufflepuff? Sirius won't admit it to you but he's pretty worried how you're faring there."

Adhara reddened at the thought of her brother ranting about how worried he is about his ickle Addie. He could be as bad as her father.

"…Well, its better," she said with a not so convincing look. "At least my roommates are finally speaking to me…relucntantly but still speaking to me."

"Takes them two months to finally speak to you?" Remus shakes his head with a small smile. Remus couldn't help but berate himself since he was kind of being a hypocrite. Took you about a month to finally speak to her again, he chides himself.

It's not like this for Remus to be so nervous to speak to a girl. He's pretty nervous around them but he can easily push it down and become friendly with them. But with Adhara it was a bit different.

"I guess I have that effect," she gave him a small smile.

Adhara thought it was pretty strange that her cousin, Andromeda, has been trying to make a relationship out of the both of them in the last couple of months. It's not like they talk to each other much when they come over for dinner or vice versa before she went to Hogwarts. Adhara always thought of her as the more aloof out of the three. Narcissa the polite one who seems docile and Bellatrix…

Well, Adhara doesn't know what to say about her. Maybe the Muggle version of what they think witches are like.

But Andromeda was always quiet and observant. She has a quick tongue when one is crossed with her. But now, ever since she's been sorted into Hufflepuff, she made an effort to talk to Adhara, more.

It was November when Adhara found out why.

It was after dinner when Adhara was making her way through the library. No one there since there's a party at Gryffindor for winning against Ravenclaw.

And just when she turned the corner of the restricted section, Adhara thought she was hallucinating

Muggleborn, Ted Tonks, snogging with his hand under Pureblood, Andromeda Black, shirt.

She didn't scream like she wanted to. Instead, she dropped a book as her jaw dropped and eyes widened.

Andromeda instantly shoves Ted away to see who's spying and when they locked eyes; she could see the fear through them.

"Adhara…" she whispers.

Ted had the gall the laugh at being caught.

"You idiot," Adhara hissed at the Hufflepuff Prefect. He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "What if I was some Slytherin? You know how they sneak through this section. You guys could have been caught by worse."

Again, Ted laughs. She always thought of him with a few clouds in his head but not enough for him to do something this idiotic.

"How long have this been going on?" she asked them.

"A year," Ted answers.

Adhara didn't know what else to say. Well, there was many questions running through her mind but they all sounded rude and insulting towards both of them. But Andromeda being the observant person that she is read Adhara like a book, easily.

"I love him," she said like that can answer all of her questions.

Adhara furrowed her eyebrows. "Enough to be disowned from the family over a scandal," she then turns to Ted, "Sorry, no offense."

"I kind of like being a scandal," he waves her off with a grin.

"Not all of us think like our parents," Andromeda said. "I don't care about blood. I love him and if I get disowned so be it," there was a challenge in her eyes.

"I…will not say anything," Adhara whispers more to Ted than Andromeda. No offense to Andromeda, but only knowing Ted (who became more of a big brother to her) for about two months her friendship with him was the strongest she ever had with someone. And he's her first friend, even if she may not be his friend.

Ted, as if he read her mind, hugs her. He then bends down, patting her on the head, and said, "You won't need to keep it a secret for long."

"We're marrying after graduation," Andromeda said.

"B-b-but—

-you're young, Adhara. One day, you'll find someone—maybe someone who opposes our family's beliefs—and love them so much you would rather be disowned and shunned than not be away from them."

Secrets. Adhara was shite at keeping them from Sirius.

He could tell that she was hiding something from him The secret she was keeping was combusting her from the inside. His gray eyes boring holes into her as she avoided eye contact with him yet speaking with him. Her eyes always meeting either James' or sometimes Remus' (who also has a problem with keeping it).

So right after dinner, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into an empty broom cupboard.

"Spill," he said. Both hands on either side of her head as he backed her up into the wall, caging her in.

Addie easily gave in. She grabbed him by the front of his robes.

"Promise you won't tell," she said.

He scoffs. "I'm insulted."

"Sorry," she whispers. Those familiar gray eyes finally looking into his. "Andromeda is running away after graduation."

"What," he grabs her by both arms.

"She's marrying Ted. I caught them snogging yesterday," she explained.

If this is a joke. It's a cruel one. Practically insulting the Pureblood line as if the Blacks would snog a muggle born. He could hear it now from his mother.

"I won't tell," he finally said after a too long of a silence.

As soon as she laid eyes on the familiar older man as she stepped onto the platform, Adhara dropped her bags and sprinted into his arms and squealed.

Orion hasn't seen his daughter in three months and threw his usual stoic mask out the window. Merlin, he hasn't seen his children in three months.

Seeing Adhara's beaming face brought a warmth over him that has been missing. Regulus was no ray of sunshine either. He was either depressed and sulking or demanding attention and causing a scene.

"I missed my little star," he said before pecking a kiss on her the cheeks. He looked over his daughter's shoulder to see Sirius frowning as he dragged his feet to them with both his and Adhara's bags. "And my brightest star," he winked at this son.

Sirius rolled his eyes. It didn't take long for Regulus to tackle him into a hug.

"I missed you, too, father," she mumbled into his shoulder, still clinging to him.

The mood didn't last too long.

Walburga Black was sure to do that during dinner.

As Regulus asked many questions, and Adhara was happy to tell him (even if Sirius had the most adventurous time than herself), she could feel the vibe of the room tensing.

"In a house full of mud bloods, eh?" she finally asked.

Adhara paled. She knew this was coming sooner or later. She glanced at Sirius to seem him clenching his fists making his knuckles white. "And Blood traitors," she said to her son.

"It's not like I asked," Adhara mumbled. "The hat wouldn't listen. The only Slytherin thing about me is that I'm a Pure-blood-"

-and that should be reason enough," Walburga growled.

"Hufflepuff is where she belongs," Sirius growled back. "She's nothing like them. She's a kind-hearted and loyal person. She doesn't need to be with those snakes—

-and you rather be with those mud-blooded lions?" she raised an eyebrow. "Always 'brave' and run into a fight to be the hero?"

Adhara, tired of being the one to protect, was ready to defend her brother like he does with her. "They are not that bad. The muggle borns are just like us but raised different—

Smack.

Walburga never laid a hand on her kids. To people shock, her kids can be well-mannered. Energetic but never disrespectful. But the words that left her daughter's mouth made her boil with anger that her hand moved on its own. The words was an insult as they left Adhara's mouth.

Sirius jumped out of his chair, hands clenched, yet feet planted on the wooden floor. He didn't know what to do. If this was anyone else, he would jump over the table and pummel them. But this is his mother.

He looked at his twin. He was shocked that she hadn't shed a tear. A stunned look came upon Addie's face. She didn't touch her reddening cheek.

"Get out of my sight," Walburga said. Her voice cold.