Author's note:

Anon: thanks for the review and critique. I will write more about Remus's feelings towards his condition when he is in his third year. And I know that this is abit heavy for kids who are in their first and second year but I thought of her parents pressuring her to choose wisely for her friends since Andromeda ran off with a muggle born and Sirius and Adhara are in houses full of muggleborns and 'blood-traitors'.


Sometimes

you need to

distance yourself

from people.

If they care,

they'll notice.

If they don't,

you know where you stand.


Remus noticed that Adhara has been spending more of her time with Regulus, Severus, and Thomas Higgs. More with Thomas Higgs than anyone else. And it's not like she is the one seeking out the third year boy. He would ditch his own friends and make his way over to Adhara with his cocky smile and charming words.

She was polite when she sat next to him in Charms but nothing outside of being cordial. Remus could tell that she was not faring well with being separated from her brother. The silent treatment that her brother was giving her pissed Remus off. Sirius is so dramatic when things do not go his way. But he could tell that Sirius was also feeling the same even though he was the one to start this. This was their longest row. Over a month to be exact.

And you know what finally got the siblings to speaking?

Quidditch.

Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were playing each other in the second week of February.

Everyone just knew that Gryffindor was going to win. It's always been the usual thing. So Remus was not expecting much from the game. It's not like his friends are going to be playing in it since they are all reserve players.

And then the impossible happened.

Hufflepuff's Seeker fell off her broom—fifteen feet in the air—and had to be sent to the infirmary. That's when Adhara made her debut. There she was walking on the pitch with the latest broom looking fit (come on, those quidditch pants are a sin). Gryffindor was ahead by fifty points and Hufflepuff was putting on a fight for the first time. But it's not like Remus knew the score. His eyes were locked onto the brunette badger who was flying the broom as if she became one with it. She whizzed by other players easily while her opponent could barely dodge them. The snitch was just within reach of Adhara. She followed it always ten feet behind. The snitch decided to fly towards the pitch and Adhara easily went for it.

"What the hell?" he said out loud. Timid and shy Adhara was now being reckless…Gryffindor as she flew for the snitch. Remus couldn't blink. He prayed that some sense would come into her head to stop or at least slowdown.

Remus didn't know if she caught it since Adhara fell onto the grass face first.

Adhara Black caught the snitch! Hufflepuff wins!

Sirius stood there frozen. Fear coursed through his body until the little runt lifted her hand with the snitch in it with a proud smile. Her face bruised and dirty but gleaming with a wide smile. Her teammates tackled her into a group hug since this is their first time winning in decades. Adhara seemed more shocked than him by the sudden affection from her housemates.

James pushed through the mass of people and threw himself on to her. Sirius knows that the boy would be sulking later but pushed it down to show how proud he is of his friend regardless of what house she belongs to.

Sirius threw everything that made him mad at her out the window. Adhara played for the first time. And not only caught the snitch but helped her team win. It's been forever since Hufflepuff won against Gryffindor and it was because of his sister that they did. Sirius could not let something as stupid as a fight get in the way of him being proud of his little sister. He did not want her to remember this day that was connected to they're first ever big fight but the day they made up from that said fight.

Sirius yanked James from his sister and engulfed her into a hug. Adhara seemed more surprised by the hug from Sirius than she felt during the hug with James and that hurts. He couldn't help but smile a bit when he realized that he is not the same height as Adhara anymore. For the past twelve years, they have always been the same height and now here she was, two inches shorter. For some reason, that made him think what other differences was between the pair of them that he failed to notice.


Dear Father,

Have you heard? I got to play during the quidditch match against Gryffindor! I helped us win. I caught the snitch in the first ten minutes that I played in the game! I think the snitch was lucky since it helped me and Sirius make up. Yeah, we had another row and it lasted for a whole month! But we are back on good terms…I think.

From

Adhara Black

From the Ancient and Noble House of Black

Dear Teddy,

So, Sirius and I made up and it was all because of the beautiful sport quidditch. I helped us win by catching the snitch in ten minutes! I think my house mates are finally starting to show a liking to me!

From Adhara Black

From the Ancient and Noble House of Black


Even though Adhara made up with Sirius didn't mean that she was going to go running back to their table having lunch with them and being social with the group of friends. Regulus was still watching her. He is her beloved younger brother but the fact that he is spying on her and reporting back made her want to sock him in the jaw. He claims he was looking out for her since he didn't want her to fall for a mudblood like her older cousin. Adhara is not stupid. She knows better to seek a relationship with them since it could end the one she has with her family. But she really wants to be friends with the muggle-borns. She really missed Lily,

And apparently Lily did miss her but the redhead was not going to stew silently. Lily gave Adhara some time and then confronted Sirius about it after a couple of weeks. She felt angry that Adhara would drop her like that but with further explanation of situation from Sev, it started to make a little sense.

But it still hurts.

Lily may be angry but she would not cause a scene that could cause trouble for the Hufflepuff in public.

So she decided to wait until she knows that Adhara would be alone in the library.

"So where you going to even explain why you dropped me like I was a pile of dung?"

Adhara flinched at the question laced with anger and hurt. She turned around in her seat to see the redhead with a frown on her face and arms crossed. She only saw Lily mad a handful of times but at least it was pointed at James and Sirius.

"No…" Adhara mumbles. "I already felt bad for even doing it but telling you that we can not be friends anymore? That's just cruel."

"It's crueler to me when I thought I've done something wrong to cause this," Lily, of course, made sense.

"Please forgive me," she said. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

"and?"

"Sorry for even ditching you in the first place," she apologized.

Lily easily relented. Adhara's puppy-eyed look was unfair for her.

It had Lily worried. Lily always thought that maybe the Hufflepuff is not used to friends (Sirius did not count). So instead of speaking to her about what problems she faced at home, she let it stew a bit. Lily was not an idiot. She noticed that Adhara has barely spoken to her housemates (and vice versa) and that made her befriend the girl in the first place last year. But then she actually got to know her and realized that she was nothing like her brother and not use to making friends (or having them).

"We can still be friends," Lily said after much thought. "We may not have been best friends but I still want to be there for you…even if it's in secret." She thought of Severus. She noticed how the distance between the two was bigger than it's ever been. He would not pull himself away from her purposely like the pureblood in front of her has but she noticed how he tensed up when his housemates were near.

A smile easily appeared upon the thirteen-year old's face at the suggestion. "Of course," she said with a nod.


"Why the bloody hell are you wearing Slytherin's colors?"

It was the first time since November that Fabian has spoken to Adhara. It was more because of her constant avoidance of the redhead. And now here he was in front of her wearing a frown and pouting (So cute, she thought) with his arms crossed at her. Adhara was on her way to sit with Regulus and Severus and she could feel their eyes on her as she spoke to a blood-traitor.

"I have a friend who's on their team," she shrugged, not meeting his eyes. If it was not for Thomas, then she would have been wearing Ravenclaw's colors (which 8o percent of the students were doing) since Slytherin is full of cheaters. They brought shame to the sport she loved.

"Oh, yeah. Higgs," he said the boy's name with disgust. Adhara raised an eyebrow at that. Has he been watching her? As if he heard the question that ran through her mind, his cheeks reddened. "Um, you were pretty wicked with your catch last month," he hurried and changed the subject.

"Thanks," Adhara said shyly. "I don't know what came over me. I just went for it. Sometimes my mind stops over-thinking when I'm playing quidditch."

"It's the same way with me," he agreed. "You should come sit with us," he offered. "Noticed you haven't been at our table in a while. You in a row with your brother?"

Adhara tried to fight the grin from coming when she realized he's been looking for her. "I just decided to spend more time with my other friends."

"Slytherin friends," Fabian points out.

Adhara shrugs. "Friends are friends." She knew that she's been talking too long and too friendly with the redhead. "And speaking of friends, I should go sit with them since the game is starting any minute now."


"I thought you fancied Claire?" Gideon asked as soon as his brother sat next to him.

"She was getting clingy. Just because I snogged her a few times doesn't mean that I'm going to tie myself to her," he waved off. Claire was a fit bird. One of the only few cute girls in his house and year to a have a decent pair of knockers with a cute face to match.

"Black is a bit different from your usual type," Gideon points out.

Fabian glances over at the second year Hufflepuff. She's is. While she used to be a giggling girl who blushed at everything he said he noticed a few things about her. Like her love of quidditch and how she's a wicked Seeker and had his heart racing when he saw her ride the broom with ease. "You make it seem like I'm a slag who only snogs blondes—

-with knockers, yes, you are one," Gideon teased. Out of the pair of twins, Fabian was the first to start taking an interest in girls. Fabian would flirt with them while Gideon starts ranting on about dragons and hippogriffs. Both being thirteen with puberty hitting them at full force. They were tall for their age yet voice was still high (and cracked occasionally). Gideon still finds the birds annoying and 'okay' looking while Fabian had a wandering eye. He still doesn't think much of it but a quick snog. He thought he might as well get some experience before he starts to really fancy someone.

"How the bloody hell do you even get birds who are so out of your league?" Frank, their best friend, said. Gideon and Fabian didn't take offense to his (clumsy) words since they are used to their friend speaking without thinking much of the consequences of saying it.

"I like to think it's my charm," Fabian said with a smug smile. Making a girl laugh was the ultimate flirting technique that sealed the deal with girls.

"You're completely nutter if you think you got a chance with her," Gideon said, noticing that Fabian was still staring at the Hufflepuff.


Adhara could not understand what was going on. She couldn't help but think that maybe her change of attitude (distancing herself from the Gryffindors) could have helped along with her changed appearance. Ever since that day, he has been trying to get her attention. Stopping her in the halls and trying to make conversation. Bringing up topics of professional quidditch games. It was pretty baffling and distracted her from her original goal of separating herself from those who could threaten her relationship wither family. He would randomly compliment her when he passes her in the halls causing the girls around her (in her year, of course) to glare at her with jealousy.

It was the end of the school year when Fabian made his initial move.

"Black, may I speak with you?" he asked her. Adhara noticed that he never says her first name in public anymore. Maybe he did catch on, she thought as she followed him to an empty corner of the halls.

"Yes, Prewitt?"

He smirked at her cheekiness.

"Fair warning, I am going to be writing to you over the summer. Got it?"

After a moment she finally answered, "Thanks for the warning. And why would you want to write letters to me over break?" Adhara learned from Andromeda over a letter that she can not seem too interested in the bloke.

Fabian feint offended at her question. "Are we not friends, Addie?" he scoffed with a hand over his heart for dramatics. "That's what, us, friends do when we can not see them over summer. We write them letters, love."

Adhara tried to ignore the racing of her heart when she noticed the endearment he given her.

"Okay…just…send them at night only," she pleaded with him.

She got her first letter two weeks after coming back home.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the beaming smile she gotten when she saw the familiar tawny-colored owl swoop through her bedroom's window. Sirius was laid the opposite direction on her bed while she was leaned against the headboard. Adhara quickly hopped off the bed and grabbed a treat for the owl before grabbing the letter.

To the Lovely Addie,

I hope you miss me as much as I do for you. I really miss your pretty eyes, cute smile, and laugh. I'm very bored since I'm babysitting my nephew, William. It's not much to do here and I am BORED. How are you spending your summer? How do the Blacks spend their summer anyways?

From

The Handsome Fabian Prewitt

"You should tell him not to sign his name, just in case," Sirius said. He was reading the letter over your shoulder with a frown on his face. "And can he be any more cheesy in the beginning. I mean, calling your eyes pretty and having a cute smile, and your laugh."

"You do know that we have the same eyes and smile, right?" she nudged him off her shoulder.

"Yeah, but when he says it. It sounds so, ugh," he grimaces.