~Memory Three~
Albus laughed with his oldest son who had just finished telling him a joke. Ever since the dark lord Voldemort had come to power, he scarcely saw his children, especially with the school year going on. Although he and Minerva did run Hogwarts, they had decided it would be much safer if Adara and Alberic attended other schools, so Adara studied in Beauxbatons and Alberic in Durmstrang, thus allowing Albus very little, if any, time with his children. Even his youngest child Aiden, who lived with Minerva and him at Hogwarts, rarely saw Albus. All these circumstances made Albus cherish every single minute with his children. His children understood and cherished the time as well. Except one of them, that is.
"Albus! Albus, get up here quickly please!" Minerva's voice, quivering from rage, called from upstairs.
Albus paused. Assuming it was himself Minerva was angry with, he mentally went through what he did that day and yet could not find anything that would make her this angry. His musings didn't last long, however, as he saw Minerva dragging a fidgeting figure dressed in black down the stairs. One look at the person's face and he already had a general idea of what had happened. "Adara," he sighed. "What has she done now?" he looked towards Minerva.
Minerva looked at her fourteen year-old daughter. "Go on, show your father what you've done."
Adara rolled her eyes and merely plugged her magical ipod into her ears, ignoring her mother.
Albus took the opportunity to look over at her. She had changed so much these past few years. Not just the changes all young adults go through as they go into their teenage years. She had taken to wearing only black clothes, accessorized outrageously, usually metal chains or something similar, giving her the look as though she had just escaped from Azkaban. Her ebony hair was now streaked with purple. Her blue eyes, so like his, were partially hidden by the thickness of the black eyeliner she now wore. It was then at taking a long glance at his daughter's eyes that he realized a crucial difference between his eyes and her's. Her eyes lacked the twinkle his eyes were often described as having .In fact; they weren't even the sparkling blue his were. They were reduced to a dull dark shade of blue. And he knew that it wasn't just because at the moment she was rather cross with her mother. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her eyes twinkle. Why, he couldn't even remember the last time he had heard her laugh or seen her smile! He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard his wife's sharp voice.
"Take those damn headphones out of your ears!" Minerva exclaimed as she pulled out the headphones, causing Adara to hiss in pain. "Now show your father what you've done!"
"Fine" Adara said coolly. She stuck out her tongue at Albus. At first, he assumed it was a rude gesture until he noticed a small circle shaped piece of silver shining on her tongue.
Albus sighed and looked towards his daughter who rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by her mother's presence.
"It's not that big of a deal. Mum's just flipping out over nothing."
"Over nothing?!?!?! Over nothing?!?!?! You deliberately disobeyed me."
"Why are you so upset, mum? You didn't seem to mind when Adara got her navel pierced."
Minerva gaped and looked between her two oldest children,
Albus turned to his oldest son. "Alberic, I think it's best if you head over to your room."
Alberic, who was enjoying watching his mother scold his sister, sighed. "But dad…."
"Now, son." He said sharply.
Alberic nodded and walked up the stairs to his room, but not before shooting a rather nasty smirk to his sister.
Adara rolled her eyes. "Bloody snitch" she muttered as she turned to walk back up the stairs to her room.
Furious, Minerva grabbed her daughter's arm roughly, with a bit more force then necessary, sending her crashing onto the ground hard.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!?!?!?" asked Adara as she rubbed her quickly bruising arm.
"Well, let's see. I carried you for 9 months, and spent 17 excruciating hours of labor giving birth to you. I daresay I'm your mother." Said Minerva dryly.
"By your definition." Adara retorted venomously.
"Excuse me?!?!"
"Meaning, there's more to being a parent that just popping out a kid and seeing them two or three times a year."
"Oh Merlin, is this what this is all about? Adara, we discussed this. So many times, we've discussed this."
"Yes, yes. I know how this dance goes. You glance at us one day, notice that we're not the toddlers we were the last time you looked at us, get depressed at how you've missed out on so much of our lives, and beg me, Aiden, and Alberic to answer you honestly and tell you if you're a good mother. We lie through our teeth and tell you that you're an excellent mother, and that you're just not around as much as we'd like. You start to tear up and promise to be there for us more. We hug, kiss, and make up, all looking forward to a new happy future. But then the next morning arrives and as usual, you're both gone, the conversation from the night before is forgotten and soon the cycle begins again. Over and over and over again." Adara said coldly as she looked her mother straight in the eye.
Minerva stared at her daughter stunned. She took several deep breaths to ensure that she wouldn't break down in front of her daughter, for that was how much her daughter's words had affected her. Not because it was said in such a harsh manner, but because more or less, it was true..
Albus also stared at Adara, speechless. For once in his life, he could not think of one single intelligent thing to say. And honestly, he didn't think he had a right to respond to what Adara had just said. This was the problem with Albus. While Minerva had no problem disciplining the children, even if it meant that the first words out of her mouth after months of not seeing her child were words being used to scold them. He never felt as though he had a right to scold his children and therefore never did.
"So what would you have me do, Adara. Choose between the children at Hogwarts and my own children?" asked Minerva as she blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill down her face.
Adara snorted. "Of course not. Why would I even bother? We both know what your answer would be." She turned away and began to walk back up to her room.
By then, Minerva didn't even bother trying to hold back the tears that had recently emerged from her daughter's recent statement, which also in a sense was true. "You know, your brothers understand the situation your father and I are in. Why can't you?"
Adara stopped halfway to the second floor and turned towards her mother. "I guess I'm just the screw-up."
Before Minerva could stop herself, she blurted out the one thing she should have never said. "Yes, I suppose you are."
Adara winced, which Minerva was painfully aware of. "Well, at least we've agreed on something, Mother" she turned around and ran the rest of the way to her room where she locked the door and collapsed onto the floor, succumbing to the tears, which quickly consumed her. Blindly, she raised her sleeve up to her elbow, revealing crimson slashes, all of different age and length. She reached for her razor began adding new cuts to her mutilated arm. Little by little, she felt her grief and depression fade away with each cut she made. She breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed the stinging pain she felt replacing her inner turmoil.