Another chapter... lots of days later. Sorry about that. Thank you to Loopy Leefy for the review :)
"I don't think I like the Potions professor."
Peter plopped down next to Adam in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room. Adam looked up from his Transfiguration homework.
"Slughorn?"
A nod.
"He's not too bad. Plays favorites, but from what some of the older kids say, his predecessor was a right bastard.'
"I'm not aloud to say that word," Peter said.
"Sorry."
Adam shifted so that he was facing the younger boy better.
"So, why don't you like Slughorn?" he asked him, and Peter shrugged, staring at the orange and gold flames flickering in the fireplace.
"Kind of for what you said, mostly. He likes the kids that are smart and do well. He's not actually mean, but I don't like it when teachers play favorites."
He pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill and sighed.
"Want me to help you with your Charms homework, Pete?"
Peter gave a small smile and nodded.
"Peter!"
The small boy spun around, the movement nearly knocking his slightly-to-large glasses from his face. Ariel giggled softly and pushed them back into place before slinging an arm around her brother as the two of them walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts together, a class period shared between their houses.
"How was your first week?" Ariel disguised it as a question, though it was more of a demand.
Peter shrugged, but he had a small smile on his face.
"It was good." He said, not going into further detail about his classes. "Adam is nice."
Ariel gave a serious nod.
"Good," she said, "I'm glad that you have someone." Her voice seemed very small.
Peter wondered if she was feeling lonely.
"Have you made any friends?"
It was her turn to shrug, and she did so with a bright smile.
"Yeah, but no one like from at home." She frowned a little. "I miss my friends."
Peter stayed silent, but Ariel knew that he was a boy of few words, and made no comment on it. She never did.
Adam flipped through his History of Magic textbook, a small frown on his face. It was probably his least favorite subject of the lot, and he wasn't doing to hot in it, either.
"Are you going home for Christmas?"
Adam jumped upon hearing the voice come from behind him in the Slytherin common room.
"Shit- Peter, you startled me!" he said, a little bit of accusation in his voice.
Peter shrank back a little, and Adam rubbed a hand over his face, feeling very tired.
"No, no, you're alright. You just caught me off-guard. What do you need?" he said with a sigh.
Peter shifted from one foot to another.
"Are you staying here for Christmas, or are you going home?" he rephrased his question.
Adam put his book aside.
"I'm going home. My half-sister is visiting with her fiancé, so my Mum wants the entire family there. Why? Are you staying?"
Peter nodded, looking miserable.
"Mum's got a new girlfriend," he said, "and they're spending Christmas with her parents. She invited me and Ariel, but Ariel said that she didn't want to spend the Holidays with old people." He made a face. "I don't want to meet her new girlfriend, she never stays with them that long, anyway."
"Oh." Adam considered this for a moment before tentatively asking, "You can't spend the break with your dad, right? You said you weren't in contact with him."
His question was answered by another nod.
"Dad got put in prison because he did bad things," he said quietly. "Least, that's what Mum says."
Adam thought for a moment. He couldn't let these poor kids spend a Holiday alone. Sure, the staff stayed during the Holidays, and some other students, too, but still… Finally, he came up with an idea.
"Do," he began, "do you and your sister want to spend the Holiday with me and my family? I've got a cousin about a year younger than you, and I'm sure you'd have fun."
Peter gave a small smile.
"I'll ask Ariel," he said in reply. "Your parents won't mind?"
No, they'd be thrilled that there'd be more kids to spoil, Adam thought with a smile.
"Nah, they'd love you."
Peter's smile was a full-blown grin now.
"Okay," he said brightly, surprising Adam by giving him a brief hug before sprinting out of the common room.
He watched him go for a moment before grabbing his textbook and returning to his studies.
"Darlings,
I really want you to come home for the Easter Holiday. Maryanne wants to meet you, and I would love it if you got along with her, for my sake. Besides, your birthday is coming up and I want to know what the two of you want me to get you for your gifts. Nothing from that prank shop, Ariel.
When you meet Maryanne, remember not to say anything about your school, please. I don't want her running out on me, and I don't think she's ready to know about all that just yet. I certainly wasn't when I met your father.
Remember to do well in your classes, and not to eat too many sweets.
Love,
Mummy."
Ariel scoffed as she finished reading the letter.
"Can you believe her," she asked Peter. "Wasn't she with Katie or Cassie or whoever just a few weeks ago?"
Peter said nothing, but he looked fairly disgruntled.
"I mean," Ariel went on, "I'm glad that she's got company while we're gone, but can she pick one for more than a month?"
"She hasn't found the right person yet," Peter said softly, shrugging.
Ariel rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well, Dad was the right person." She grumbled. "And if she'd waited, she'd realize that he wasn't doing anything bad, and then we'd be a family."
Peter sat there for a moment, quite, before saying, "But she said Dad hurt people, that he did bad things."
His sister snorted.
"I looked him up, you know." She said. "In the library back home. Andrew Bristol. He got arrested because he cheated at gambling on a holiday in Las Vegas." She grit her teeth. "The real reason that Mum didn't want us near him was because he had magic, and she was scared. And now she's scared of us, even if she won't admit it."
"But she's our mum." Peter mumbled.
Ariel sighed and squeezed her brother's hand.
"Yeah, she's still our mum."
Word Count: 1,074 without A/N