Author's note: Went to see Catching Fire for the 3rd time today! And got some Christmas presents sorted... Feeling happy! I am meant to be doing Spanish revision, since I have 515 words to memorise for Monday, but then I thought you might all be in need of some Fredele/Frada/Fradeline, since I haven't wrote any in a while. I have my priorities straight, clearly... Meh. You guys are way more important than a stupid slip of paper/GCSE... Ish. Okay, I'm freaking out. I'll revise tomorrow. Speaking of which, tomorrow's the first of December! Christmas tree time! This is so exciting!
HattieTheGreat: It really is. I promise to watch it the next time the opportunity arises. And someone who understands my love of Bon Jovi! I have to tell Ellie... She's the one who introduced me in the first place. Then my aunty got all excited when she found out I was listening to Bon Jovi in my bedroom and came and started singing along with me. I just really love how multigenerational they are... Me and Ellie like the same music our mums and aunties like, and Kit Kat and her friends like it too, on and on... It makes me happy. One thing that confuses me, though, do you say he (as in Jon Bon Jovi) or they as in the band? I never know. Bless you. Our mums have promised to take us to see him in concert, but I don't think it's actually going to happen, so yeah. I feel your pain there, I really do. And I don't think you're rubbish at reviewing! You never fail to make me laugh, and I'm always really touched whenever you, or anyone else for that matter, says they like the chapter. So thank you! ;)
Isabel: Thank you so much! Advice has been duly noted and taken on board, and I think you're right. I don't want to try and cram too much into chapters just for the sake of it, or extend them just so I have a bigger chapter/word count (which is a pet hate of mine, but I seem to be doing by waffling anyways). And yeah, Harry was really annoying in that last chapter. You'll just have to wait and see about whether or not Sirius meets Ada before he meets the Golden Trio in the shrieking shack... Muwhahaha! I am an evil genius. Though it's not going to be a long wait at this rate, two weeks, ultimate-writing-loads-of-coursework-busy tops? I don't know, I'm rubbish at guesstimating. And I think Harry probably will be jealous of Ada when it comes to Sirius, but my question is this: do you think Ada will be jealous of Ada? You'll just have to wait and see... Muwhahaha! Did I just kind of give myself and my plot line away by writing that question? I think I might have. Whoops... Didn't think that one through. Moving swiftly on. Grammar: Moral of the story? Never write when you're tired. And try not to write like a posh Yorkshire person, because . .you. Fact about me? I'm a Yorkshire 'lass', but apparently I don't talk 'proper Yorkshire' (imagine that in a Yorkshire accent. Propa York shh a.) Yeah, I was brought up to talk properly and not drop letters, a lot like Adeline, and apparently I talk posh. Which might explain but not excuse some of the grammar issues in this story. Once, my friends sponsored me for Children In Need to speak in a 'proper' Yorkshire accent. It didn't go well... Yeah.
Oh my! That is so cool! I'm bad with watching films, too. My usual reactions: Screaming, sneezing and a lot of crying. I mean a lot a lot... People generally spend so much time laughing at me sobbing (apparently I cry quite loudly?) that they don't even watch the film. I now have friends who refuse to come to the cinema with me... And yet did anyways, today. I screamed twice, sneezed once and cried about a bizzilion times. Not necessarily in that order. I'm glad you enjoyed your virtual waffle. You're not weird. And thank you so much! That is the first time I have ever been wished a happy thanksgiving! You just made my day... I still don't fully understand what thanksgiving is. Is it the thing about the pilgrims? Yeah, American history isn't my strong suit, a lot like riddles, as it happens... English history, on the other hand... I spent the entire day boring my friends with facts about the history of York and the York walls. Yeah, I'm weird... Another fact about me: I love history. Anyways, night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. See you in the morning, and not before! (Now who's the special child? Teheheeheee...)
Oh, and I apologise for the bad Latin. Yeah.
I don't own Harry Potter.
Sure, life might not be the party we hoped for. But now we're here, shouldn't we dance?~ unknown
The party was particularly raucous that evening. Hermione left me to go read a book for her Muggle Studies class ("Remember what I said" I'd reminded her,) which left me to sit not-so-quietly with Fred and Lee, who were debating how to get George to kiss Angelina.
"Quid contingit et factum est, et quantum est sumere." Everyone turns to stare at me, but I don't meet any of their gazes, lost in the happiest of my memories.
"What does it mean, Uncle Sirius?" The little girl asked. The man, who was having a grave conversation with Uncle James, seems somewhat startled to see the little girl at his ankles. Nevertheless, he grins, and sweeps her up in a bear like hug, swinging her around then pulled her close, planting a kiss on her forehead as she squeals in delight.
"It means, Adeline Selene Lestrange-" He says, poking her in the stomach and causing the girl to squeal louder than ever. "That you should not be listening in to private conversations!"
The girls eyes widen. "But you said that spying was good! You said that if it was safe, I should always listen, so I could tell you what people say!"
"Sirius!" Lily reproached, though she was laughing, her hand trailing absently along the prominent bump that was Harry.
Sirius thought for a minute, before laughing. "Quid contingit et factum est, et quantum est sumere. It means that whatever will happen will just happen, and that we will take it when it comes."
"Sirius-" Lily said, and there was a warning note in her voice this time, as if he might be straying too close to telling me things he really shouldn't.
Sirius ignored her. "Amabo te domec anima est, non amor, non mortem. You know what that means, squirt?"
The little girl shook her head, eyes luminous in the moonlight. Sirius smiled, and caressed her cheek. "It means I'll love you. Until there is no life, no love and no death. You know how long that is, Ada?"
The little girl frowned a moment, as if trying to work it out in years. Sirius laughed, and took her little hand in two of his own.
"It's forever, Ada. For the rest of eternity. You know how long that is?"
The girl knew the answer to this one. "Until the stars go black." She told him solemnly. Sirius laughed.
"Merlin, you've been talking to your Aunty Lily too much, haven't you? Come on squirt, let's get you home."
"Hey," Fred shook me gently by the arm. "What's wrong?"
I realised my eyes were spilling over with tears. Hastily wiping them away, I looked Fred straight on in the eyes. "Nothing." Then, brushing away a strand of hair with my fingertips, I put my lips to his ear. "I love you."
You didn't have to be a Latin expert to understand that. Fred squeezed me gently as Alicia cleared her throat loudly, and I rolled my eyes.
That night, I had fitful dreams. My mother wove in and out of them, but every time she raised her wand, a dark figure dived in front of me and started spewing Latin at her. When I woke up, it took me a moment to realise I wasn't the only one screaming. Alicia stood up, bemused, looking at my shut mouth as she ran a hand through her tousled hair.
"What the-?"
We all raced down the dormitory stairs and burst into the common room, where there was a quite a commotion still taking place.
"Pearce- Sirius Black." It was Ron. As soon as he said that name, my heart dropped into my stomach and started beating furiously. Angelina grabbed me before I could fall, and sent me a quizzical look. Honestly, this was getting out of hand. Soon, I'd have spent more of the year on the floor than I had on my own two feet! Someone only had to mention Sirius's name and I'd start swooning like a innocent schoolgirl from a bad teenage drama. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"
"Nonsense. You had too much to eat Ron, had a bad dream-"
McGonagall entered, and there was a brief argument over whether or not Sirius Black had really had entered the dormitory. But I was hardly paying attention to any of it.
I knew he had.
"Which person?" McGonagall was asking by the time I came back to reality. "Which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"
Poor Neville, who had turned ashen coloured and was trembling so violently it wouldn't surprise me if he had a fainting fit and keeled over, too, raised his hand.
The following morning, I woke up late, feeling physically and emotionally drained by the previous nights events. My eyes itched and my head pounded, but there was no way I would be able to get away with missing today.
It was careers interviews day...
Flinging my hair back into a ponytail and dressing hastily, I raced down the stairs to meet Fred.
"Hey. Woah, you in a hurry somewhere, Ada?" He laughed, catching me around the waist. Kissing him half heartedly on the cheek, I followed him out of the portrait hole, trying to concentrate as he talked about his and George's plans to get rid of Mrs Norris.
That was just Fred... Incapable of taking anything seriously, even the fact that a supposed mass murderer had allegedly tried to murder his brother last night.
The entire school was seething with anxiety and poorly supressed excitement. I, on the other hand, was feeling decidedly sick.
"You don't have to walk me to the door!" I protested, laughing as Fred maintained his grip on my hand all the way to McGonagall's office.
"Yeah, well, I want to set off a bag of dungbombs in the Transfiguration corridor. Seemed like a good opportunity."
Laughing, I shoved him gently into a nearby suit of armour, which pushed him away and tried to challenge us to a sword fight. "Charming, Weasley." I told him.
Fred's blue eyes turned suddenly serious as we reached the door to McGonagall's office, which scared me... In all the years I'd known him, I'd never known him capable of keeping a straight face or restraining from cracking a joke for more than a second. "You've got that face on." He informed me. I frowned.
"What face?"
"Your pureblood lady face. Your I-don't-want-Fred-to-know-what-I'm-thinking face."
Despite myself, I laughed. "I don't have an I-don't-want-Fred-to-know-what-I'm-thinking face!"
"You do." He said. His eyes remained deadly serious. "You look all dignified and stuff, with your chin in the air and your eyes straight ahead and your lips in a line. You sort of shake your hair over your shoulders, and-"
"Fine." I laughed. He grinned fleetingly, before turning serious again.
"It's about Sirius Black, isn't it?" He asked, frowning. "You have a connection to him, something you don't want to tell me."
"Fred-" I began, but he cut across me.
"Listen, Ada. You have secrets. I get that. Stuff you don't want to tell me. Experiences you don't want to share, stuff that I can't even begin to imagine. You're entitled to that. But, just, please don't shut me out."
In a moment of pure madness, I considered telling him everything there and then, stood against the wall outside McGonagall's office down the Transfiguration corridor.
"I-" I started, scarcely knowing what I was going to say. Fred cut me off quite effectively. Wrapping his arms around my waist, pressing his lips to mine, everything seemed perfect. This kiss was just as amazing as the first.
"Hmm-hump." I jumped about a foot in the air and turned to see Professor McGonagall standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes flinty and hard, though something tugged at the corner of her mouth which might have been amusement.
"I-" I was blushing so hard, I must have been strawberry red by now. Fred merely looked like he was about to burst out laughing... Stepping quickly away from him as if I'd been burned, I dropped my hands to my sides and tried not to look too embarrassed. And failed miserably, I might add. "Sorry, Professor, we were just-"
"I am perfectly clear on what you were doing Miss Lestrange. Mr Weasley, I advice you to go to your class before you are late. Miss Lestrange-" And she held out her hand in an 'after you' sort of gesture.
"Have you had any thoughts as to what you want to do when you leave school?" McGonagall asks, looking at me shrewdly. Suddenly, my one thought seems rather stupid. But, taking a deep breath, I looked McGonagall in the eye and said it anyway.
"I want to fight the dark arts. I want to be an auror." I told her.
There is an awkward silence in which I half expect her to burst out laughing. To my intense surprise, however, she just smiles, looking as if she is extremely pleased with my answer.
"I see."
"I know, with my background and stuff-"
"Miss Lestrange." McGonagall cuts across me, leaning forward with a steely glint in her eye. "You excel in every single subject you take. Professor Lupin cannot speak highly enough of you. You've proven yourself again and again. You have every asset that the ministry is looking for. Why should they not be honoured to take you on?"
"Because-"
"For heavens sake, Miss Lestrange! Open your eyes! Does everyone else go around introducing themselves by who their parents are? When I greet new classes, I don't go around saying; Minerva McGonagall, daughter of Nike Castor and David McGonagall, do I now? Of course not, I'd look exceptionally foolish!"
"Professor, the thing is, my parents aren't Nike Castor and David McGonagall. When I arrived at this school, everyone treated me as if I had some kind of contagious disease-"
"Not everyone." McGonagall looks so severe that for a moment I feel ashamed. I amend my statement quickly.
"No. Not everyone. But most people, you included."
It's McGonagall's turn to look ashamed- an emotion I am so surprised to see crossing her face that I barely even know how to respond.
"No, Miss Lestrange. It is true that I treated you unfairly upon arrival here. But you did something that no student, in all my time teaching, has ever done. You made me feel ashamed. You proved me wrong. You surprised me. And so you shall surprise everyone else, when you become an auror at the ministry."
"Thank you Professor." I said, feeling severely humbled. McGonagall was right, and so was Fred, and so was Harry. I could sit around feeling sorry for myself all I wanted, clinging to my past, thinking about how people viewed me. Or I could move forward into the future, set about achieving my goals, and proving that the entire world wrong about me.
"Why, if you don't mind me asking, did you chose this particular ambition?" McGonagall inquires. I shrugged.
"Well, I guess, because I've grown up seeing the damage that the dark arts can do. Because I want to fight against that, so others don't have to go through... you know. I know the dark arts can never be totally eradicated. But if I devote my life to fighting them, if others do too, then maybe... Maybe I can make the world a lighter, better place. Maybe we all can."
I was startled to see McGonagall had tears in her eyes.
"That's a noble profession, Miss Lestrange. I don't think you're going to have any problems- yes. You are dismissed." She mopped her eyes.
"Professor?" I asked uncertainly.
"Oh go, you silly girl, before I start crying properly."
