Everything Black

by BrooklynFazenbaker

Adeline Shafiq is proper and well behaved. She has a sharp wit and is a potions prodigy. She is everything that a pureblood princess is supposed to be. Except she's not a pureblood. Follow Adeline, who is willing to kill to protect her friends from the dark lord who is obsessed with her, as she navigates the wizarding world and a marriage contract with the Black family.

4. Chapter 4

I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter Four:

Sirius didn't try speaking to her again and she missed how he used to be with her, always smiling and excited to tell her some new idea he'd come up with. She did her essays and readings, practicing her magic like she should and excelling in potions. Before she knew it, it was the week of her birthday and Halloween. She smiled at the floating jack-o-lanterns and fake bats that zoomed through the air.

"I can't believe it's almost your birthday," Regulus smiled as they sat in the common room.

"We've never spent a birthday with you," Evan noted. "You've always been off in America with your parents for Halloween."

Adeline simply nodded her head, still not much for speaking lately. She spoke during classes, explaining spells to Remus when he asked in charms and potions to Slughorn when she made adjustments. She spoke during Slug Club when spoken to but remained silent at all other times. It was rather abnormal considering how much she used to banter with the boys.

Barty rolled his eyes at her silence, thoroughly annoyed at this point and done with whatever dramatics Adeline was up to. Evan had begun to distance himself as well but Reggie stayed by her, noticing the looks that Sirius would give her when she wasn't looking. He knew something had happened but with not talking to Sirius and with Adeline barely speaking at all, he knew he would get no answers. He had a plan for her birthday though, wanting to make it her best one yet and refusing to let Sirius ruin it.

"I ordered your present," Regulus told her.

"What did you get?" Adeline sighed as she set down her fork, pushing away the half full plate of supper.

"It's a surprise," Reggie smiled. "You'll like it though. Promise."

"I always like your gifts," Adeline told him sincerely.

"You'll like this one the most," Reggie promised with a small smile.

Adeline returned the smile but it didn't reach her eyes. She sighed and stood.

"I'm heading to the library," she told him before leaving, not seeing the look from Sirius that followed her.

She turned left outside the doors instead, heading outside to sit by the lake for a while before curfew. She felt someone sit beside her and was surprised to find Remus.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Wondering what you're doing," Remus shrugged, looking out at the water.

Adeline sighed as she stared out at the water.

"What's been going on with you?" Remus asked her.

"It's almost my birthday," she told him.

"And you're upset about it?" Remus asked, confused.

"A friend and I had a deal that, for my first birthday at Hogwarts, we would sneak a broom from the pitch and fly over the castle at midnight so that we would be flying when I turned twelve. I love to fly."

"And he's ignoring you," Remus nodded in understanding.

"That he is," Adeline nodded.

"When's your birthday?" Remus asked curiously.

"The twenty-ninth."

"So, Sunday?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Remus nodded. "How do you get down to the Slytherin common room?"

"Why?" Adeline asked, on alert now.

"Well, if we're going to sneak out after curfew, I need to know where you'll be," Remus said simply.

Adeline stared at him for a moment before a bright smile overtook her face.

"You don't need to do that," she told him.

"I do though," Remus smiled. "That's the first time you've smiled in almost two months."

Adeline rolled her eyes.

"You have to get all the way to the dungeons from the tower. You'll get caught before you get halfway," Adeline told him.

"I'll find a way," Remus smiled. "How do I get to the common room?"

Adeline sighed and gave him the directions, telling him she'd meet him outside the dorm room at eleven. Remus smiled and helped Adeline to her feet, walking beside her as they headed back inside. He promised to see her soon before they went their separate ways.

All Saturday she felt more excited than she had in a while, practically bouncing in her seat as the end of the day approached. Evan, Barty, and Reggie gave her strange, but hopeful looks. That night, she laid in bed with an alarm set for ten-fifty, muggle jeans and a jumper on, high tops covering her feet. She shut the alarm off before putting silencing spells on her shoes and leaving her dorm. There were a few older students still in the common room so Adeline stuck close to the wall, watching the others before she made it to the door.

She pushed it open quietly, stepped into the hall, and shut the door again. She let out a small breath before standing at the end of the hall, trying to stay hidden in the darkness.

"Adeline," Remus' voice whispered and Adeline looked up and down the hall.

Remus' head appeared, floating in the air. She gasped in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. He gave her a smirk before coming closer to her and throwing a cloak over her, making them both invisible.

"Where did you get an invisibility cloak?" Adeline asked him, her voice a whisper.

"I borrowed it from James," he shrugged. "I hid a broom yesterday. Let's go."

Remus and Adeline walked through the school carefully. They made it outside, avoiding the Bloody Baron and Peeves at one point. Remus pulled Adeline along by her hand, leading her to where he'd hidden a broom in a bush by the greenhouses. He mounted the broom and Adeline climbed on behind him, her arms going around his waist and missing the slight blush that tinged his cheeks.

He kicked off and they rose higher and higher into the sky. Remus pulled the cloak off of them once they reached astronomy tower, folding it and setting it down with a rock on top of it before they were in the sky again. Remus sped up and took them over the top of the forest, Adeline smiling as they stared down at all dark trees. They flew over the lake, close enough that their feet almost touched the surface before Remus shot them into the air again, Adeline laughing as she held his waist tightly to keep from sliding off the end.

They were above the school when Remus' alarm on his wand went off. He waved it, silencing it before smiling.

"Happy Birthday, Adeline," he told her.

"Thank you," she smiled. "This was amazing. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"Even if it is with me?" Remus joked.

"Why would I be upset that I'm with you?" Adeline asked curiously.

"Because I'm not Sirius," Remus shrugged.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"The way he stares at you," Remus shrugged. "Pete and Jamie haven't noticed it but I did on the train. He fancies you."

"We're betrothed," Adeline admitted as they headed back to the tower. "Up until I was sorted, he was happy about it."

"You're to marry Sirius one day?" Remus asked curiously.

"Arranged marriages are common for pure bloods," Adeline sighed unhappily. "If there was a way out of it, I would find it for him."

"Not for yourself?" Remus asked.

Adeline just shrugged instead of answering as she sat beside Remus near the edge of the tower, looking out over the horizon. They sat in silence for a while, Remus thinking as Adeline tried to shut off her brain for a while. Eventually he sighed, taking Adeline's hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. Adeline smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. They heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Remus threw the cloak over them and the broom, flying away before they could get caught.

They dropped the broom off by the pitch before walking back to the dungeons, still invisible. When they reached the portrait hole, Remus pulled out his wand.

"Orchideous," he whispered and a bundle of flowers popped out of his wand.

He handed them to Adeline, giving her a shy smile.

"Thank you," she smiled before pulling one of the lilies from the bunch and pulling out her own wand. "Serva."

She handed the flower to Remus.

"For safe keeping," she shrugged.

Remus gave a small chuckle before removing the cloak. Adeline kissed his cheek before shooing him away so she could get into the common room without him hearing the password. Once he was down the hall, he threw the cloak back over himself and snuck back up to Gryffindor tower. Once safely inside his dorm room, he removed the cloak. The others were still awake, even at almost two in the morning, waiting for him.

"Are you going to tell us where you went now?" James asked as Remus handed him his cloak back. "You were gone for hours."

"I went to see a friend," Remus shrugged.

"A girlfriend?" Peter asked with a smirk.

"A friend who is a girl," Remus corrected before setting the flower on his bedside table.

"And she gave you a flower?" James questioned as Sirius stared at it, recognizing the preservation spell.

"Yes," Remus nodded. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

Remus changed his clothes and crawled into his bed, pulling the curtain closed around him and smiling at the flower before closing his eyes.

Adeline had gotten back into her room without a hitch, the common room empty and her dormmates in a deep sleep. She did the preservation spell on her flowers, setting them on the windowsill beside her bed before changing into her sleepwear. When she got up the next morning, she put on Slytherin green robes and grabbed one of the white lilies from the bouquet and added it to her hair.

She headed to the common room to find Sissy, Lucius, Reggie, Evan, Barty, and Severus waiting for her.

"Happy Birthday!" they all yelled, giving her hugs and handing her presents.

Most of them had given her books, but Sissy had given her a comb from the family vault. Adeline thanked her before taking all of her gifts to her room and coming back down, heading to breakfast with the group. Once seated, they began eating and talking, Adeline actually engaging in the conversations that happened around her.

"Where did you get that flower?" Sissy finally asked.

"A friend gave them to me for my birthday," she explained.

"How sweet," Sissy nodded as the post began to arrive.

Six owls stopped in front of Adeline and she sighed before untying each letter and package. She gave each owl a piece of bacon before they flew off. She opened the letter from Walburga first.

'Dear Adeline,

I have dug a few things out of the vault for you this year. Family heirlooms that I just know will look amazing on you for the gathering I have planned for when you and the boys return home this Summer. No need to worry about any mudbloods if they try to steal the items. They're cursed against anyone who isn't of pure blood.

-Walburga'

"You're mother has given me many strange gifts throughout the years, but I think cursed jewelry takes the cake this time," Adeline smirked, passing the letter to Reggie before opening the jewelry box carefully. "Oh, it is rather pretty though."

The diamond tear drop necklace had matching earrings and Adeline needed to find a way to remove the curse or lose the jewelry in some sort of accident. She closed the box before going to the next item she'd received, this one from Evan, a box of her favorite chocolate croissants from Paris that were somehow still warm. She pulled one out for herself before passing one to him in thanks. Barty had gotten her a pack of sugar quills and new ties as all of hers had disappeared thanks to Sissy. She set them aside and out of sight of Sissy so she couldn't ruin them as well. Regulus smirked as Adeline found all the joke objects, the sound making candies mixed into the stash and causing her to laugh at the memory.

The last package was unaddressed and Adeline's eyes shot to the Gryffindor table for a moment before opening the box slowly. She gasped at what she found, a bright smile appearing on her face. The five-centimeter snake's tongue flicked out and Adeline held her right hand out. The silver creature with emerald eyes wrapped around her ring finger. Once it was situated on her finger, it froze in place, perfectly placed on her hand. She ran her finger along its head gently before looking up and catching Sirius' eye. He gave her a small nod before going back to his conversation with James.

"Is that from Sirius?" Regulus asked, staring down at the snake.

"There's no note," Sissy said, looking through the box.

"It's from him," she promised, looking at the snake fondly.

"What do you want to do today?" Reggie asked, changing the subject.

"Library?" Adeline asked and smirked when all the boys groaned. "I'm kidding. How about we take the snacks and croissants and head down to the lake? It's nice outside today."

"It's cold," Evan complained.

"Warming charms," Barty rolled his eyes. "Let's drop off the jewelry and we'll go."

Adeline carried the box carefully, the rest of them grabbing her other gifts for her, Reggie hiding the ties easily. Once Adeline had put everything that she didn't need into her trunk, she grabbed her favorite blanket that she'd stolen from Black manor and met the others in the common room before they headed outside. She laid the blanket on the ground so that they weren't on the grass and they all sat, warming charms in place as they ate the snacks and croissants, Lucius showing up with hot chocolates for everyone at some point and taking a seat beside Sissy.

"What did you get Adeline for her birthday, love?" Sissy asked him and Adeline could tell she was messing with him.

"What? I…" Lucius looked terrified of the idea of having upset Adeline.

"He got us hot chocolate," Adeline said to Sissy before smiling at Lucius. "Thank you."

She dipped her croissant in the hot beverage and continued eating it. Lucius deflated a bit in relief, giving Sissy a playful glare before kissing her cheek and taking the croissant Reggie offered him. After they finished eating, Adeline held open the box of sound candy and everyone grabbed one at random before eating them at the same time. The ridiculous sounds drowned each other out before they all began laughing.

Midday, they all stood, Sissy taking the blanket for Adeline so she could go flying with the boys. After a few hours of flying, they headed back to the castle for dinner. Adeline waved her wand over herself, fixing her hair and clothes before adding a small layer of makeup onto her face. She made sure her flower was okay before following the boys to the Great Hall. They passed Sirius and his friends as they went, Adeline giving Remus a small smile as they passed each other, not seeing the look Sirius gave the two of them before his eyes locked on the lily in her hair. His eyes narrowed slightly before he shook his head and walked with James to the Gryffindor table.

Overall, it had been the best birthday Adeline had had in a while. At the end of the night, she looked at the jewels that Walburga had sent her again, a frown on her face as she made sure to not touch them. She shut the box and looked through the books she had gotten that day. She smirked at the one Barty had given her on curses before opening it and dogearing any page that she felt could be of use to her. She was up most of the night before finally falling asleep.

Adeline began devoting her time to how to remove the curses from the jewelry, knowing that if she didn't remove it by the Summer, everything would be ruined. She had no idea what she was doing though and knew she couldn't tell anyone the truth. In Charms one day, paired with Remus and finishing first again, Adeline grabbed a book on cursed objects that she had ordered the week before and began going through it.

"Trying to curse something?" Remus asked curiously, sitting beside her.

"Trying to remove one actually," she grumbled.

"Someone gave you a cursed object?"

"As a birthday gift," Adeline told him. "It's cursed against muggleborns but I don't really fancy wearing something that's cursed as a general rule of thumb."

"A Black heirloom?" Remus joked, his smirk falling when he realized that that was exactly what it was. "His mother?"

"She's not exactly the sanest witch," Adeline admitted.

"Do you need help?"

"No- Well, yes, actually. I have no clue what I'm doing," she admitted.

"Well, I don't know much about cursed objects per say but curses in general I take an interest in. Do you know what the curse is specifically?" he asked, a concentration on his face that Adeline recognized from the first class they'd shared together.

"I don't even know how to check for that, Remy," Adeline admitted.

"Remy?" Remus smirked.

"Don't like it?"

"I do."

"Remy it is," Adeline and Remus shared a smile before Remus spoke again.

"Can I see the cursed object?"

"I can meet you during break," Adeline nodded. "There's an abandoned classroom on the fourth floor by a suit of armor. Meet there?"

"Deal," Remus nodded. "I have a few books from home that I can bring next year."

"I kind of wanted the curses removed by summer," she admitted. "That's when I'm expected to wear it."

"It won't hurt you though," Remus shrugged and saw the serious look on her face. "I'll grab them at Christmas."

"Thank you," Adeline said sincerely, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before going back to the book.

In the abandoned classroom, Adeline showed the jewelry to Remus, still refusing to touch it. Remus lifted the jewelry from the box easily, both of his parents being magic. He waved his wand and the items were floating between them. He waved his wand, muttering under his breath for a few minutes and runes showed above the necklace, causing Remus to let out a low whistle.

"Someone really wanted this to kill someone. Just touching it could incapacitate a muggleborn for months. If they somehow were in contact with it for a few minutes, it would destroy their magical core completely and kill them," he explained. "These are very advanced. Are you sure you don't want to ask Professor Flitwick to look at the items? He may be able to remove them better than us."

"If we don't have a solution by February then I'll take it to him," Adeline nodded.

Remus grabbed the necklace and earrings from the air and held the items out for Adeline to take. She simply held the open box, looking at the items wearily as Remus carefully put them back into the box, confusion on his face at her hesitance before shaking his head and reaching for a bit of parchment to write down the runes he'd seen in order to translate them as Adeline grabbed the book she'd ordered. They sat on the floor and got to work. Every Monday and Thursday after Charms, the two would go to the classroom, working on the runes and different counter-curses.

One day, Adeline walked into Charms and found Remus missing. They were supposed to be working in pairs that day and it was an unspoken rule that Adeline and Remus always worked together. James approached her then.

"Remus is sick," he told her. "You can work with Crouch and I if you want."

"Is he okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing Madam Pomfrey can't fix," James waved her off. "Let's get started."

At the end of class, Adeline rushed to the hospital wing, annoying the matron when she ran into the peaceful area. She found Remus asleep in the furthest bed and slowly took a seat beside him. She felt his head and found no fever, assuming the healer had already taken care of it. She noticed the scratch on his neck then and pulled his collar down slightly, her eyes going wide at the shape of it. She put his collar back and sat down, pulling out a book but not able to read it as her thoughts took over. Remus woke as lunch was beginning, stretching before looking around and finding Adeline's curious eyes on him.

"Adie?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"James said you were sick," she explained. "I wanted to check on you. Besides, we always spend time together after Charms. I like to stick to a schedule, you know?"

Remus gave her a soft smile as Madam Pomfrey came over, sending Adeline away so she could take care of her patient.

"I'll get you a copy of the Charms notes later," she promised him before she left, finding Sirius, James, and Peter outside the doors, waiting for Remus to be released.

"What are you doing here?" James asked curiously.

"I came to check on Remus," she shrugged before walking away, ignoring the incredulous looks that were shot her way as she headed to the Great Hall to eat with her boys.

After class, she checked her astronomy book to make sure she was right about the moon phase from the night before. She grabbed an order form for potions ingredients and headed to the owlery. Once the owl had flown off with her bag of coins and the order form, she walked back to the dungeons slowly, enjoying the grounds and the cooler weather.

She received the ingredients two days later at breakfast and left, running to the bathroom on the second floor that no one ever used. She stashed the ingredients in one of the stalls before going to class. After spending the morning with the Hufflepuffs, she grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch and ran back to the bathroom with her extra cauldron and the advanced potions book that Reggie had gotten her, opening it to the correct page before getting started. She decided to skip her last lesson of the day in order to brew instead, not daring to experiment with such a finicky potion yet. She'd noted a few things she could try in a new notebook as she went.

Once she'd done as much as she could for the day, she left the potion to simmer in a corner that wouldn't be seen by anyone randomly coming into the room, her ingredients in the stall furthest from the door behind the toilet. She met up with her friends in the Great Hall for dinner.

"Where were you?" Reggie asked.

"Library," she lied.

"We checked the library," Evan said.

"Can't a girl have some privacy?" Adeline rolled her eyes.

"Not during class hours," Reggie said firmly. "Where were you?"

"Writing in a potions book," she admitted, which had been partially true and completely believable.

"I swear she like potions more than she likes us," Barty stated.

"I do," she smirked before taking her seat.

She worked on the potion in her free periods that she wasn't working with Remus on the cursed gift from Walburga. The day before the full moon, Remus was in a bad mood, getting snippy with almost everyone. He threw himself down on the floor in front of Adeline with a huff, an annoyed expression on his face.

Adeline knew it was due to the full moon so she'd been gentle with him all day, not wanting him to get upset with her. He opened his runes book and began going through the pages, Adeline staring at him in concern for a moment before pulling out a bacon sandwich that she'd stolen from the kitchens before rushing to the room. His nose twitched and he looked to the offered sandwich. He grabbed it from her and ate it quickly, Adeline giving him a small smile before passing him a flagon of pumpkin juice to wash it down.

"Are you alright?" she asked him gently.

"Why do you really want to remove the curses?" he asked bluntly, giving Adeline a hard stare.

"I'm taking that as a no," she raised a brow before going back to her book.

"You're a pure blood from one of the sacred twenty-eight but you won't even touch the necklace and earrings. You act as if you're afraid to. You've said before that you feel like an imposter when you're surrounded by the other Slytherins and at the parties Walburga throws. None of it makes sense unless there's something that you're hiding. Or maybe it's you parents that are hiding it."

Adeline flinched at the emphasis and gave Remus a hard look.

"Are we going to talk about secrets right now?" she questioned. "Because I don't see you offering up yours in exchange for mine."

"I don't have any secrets," Remus immediately spoke.

"Everyone has secrets," Adeline defended. "You want to talk about mine? How about we talk about how often you get sick, almost as if on a specific day every month. You show up with more scratches every morning after as well and act rather beastly towards anyone who crosses your path the day before. Speaking of parents, yours literally named you Remus Lupin. Do you know what that translates to?"

Remus slammed his book closed and left the room in a rush. Adeline sighed, angry at herself for pushing him away. She packed her things away and left the room, heading to the second floor. She bottled the concentrated potion in an unbreakable vial before cleaning the cauldron thoroughly and getting the ingredients for the next batch prepped before heading to her next class.

The next afternoon at lunch, an owl swooped down in front of Remus. He looked confused before taking the small box from the bird. He opened it, finding a note and a vial of potion.

'Drink me. From, your muggleborn friend.'

A lily was drawn under the word friend and Remus glanced up, catching Adeline's eye before unstopping the potion and drinking it fully. Adeline gave him a small nod before going back to her meal. Remus made a face before placing the vial back down and folding the note to hide in his pocket. James, Peter and Sirius joined him then and sat quietly, not wanting to upset him. Remus began to feel a bit better, his mood shifting back to its normal calm as the wolf inside him settled. He smiled brightly, realizing what Adeline had made for him before realizing that she must have known since the last full moon at least at that point.

"What's up with you?" Peter finally asked, seeing the strange look on Remus' face.

"Nothing," Remus shook his head before pushing the platter with Peter's favorite sandwiches closer to him. "Here you are,"

"Thank you," Peter gave him a small smile.

"How are you truly feeling Remus?" James asked in concern.

"Good," Remus smiled. "I think full moons are going to be a bit easier from now on."

"Why is that?" Sirius asked.

"Just a feeling," Remus shrugged. "What are all of your plans for the night?"

"Well, we planned to try to get some studying done. Can't let the first years show us up in potions and charms now can we?"

"I think Adeline would show a seventh year up in potions given the chance," Remus shrugged, looking down at his food and missing the looks that the other three passed around before James smirked.

"Does Remus have a crush on the little snake?" he asked.

"No," Remus shook his head. "She's my friend and she's brilliant, just as Lily is and you don't ask if I have a crush on her."

"You've been spending your free period with Shafiq after Charms twice a week and don't act like the lily by your bed didn't match the one in her hair in October," James stated, reminding Remus how observant he could be.

"How'd you know we spent free period together?" Remus asked curiously.

"We followed you the other day," Peter shrugged and Remus' eyes went wide. "There was a privacy charm on the door though but we saw you both come out."

"Are you snogging?" James asked, brows raised and a smirk on his face.

"We're studying," Remus said firmly.

"You can study in the library," Sirius pointed out. "You don't go to empty classrooms to study. You go there to snog."

"We aren't snogging," Remus said, looking into Sirius' eyes and willing him to believe what he was saying.

"Fine," James sighed and they all went back to eating.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Peter spoke up again.

"Not even a little bit of snogging?" he asked.

"Peter," Remus groaned.

"You snuck out after curfew to meet up with her and were gone until three in the morning," James argued. "There's no way there wasn't even a light peck involved at some point."

Remus blushed and looked down, remembering that Adeline had kissed his cheek.

"There was a peck," Peter smiled widely. "Tell us everything."

"It was for her birthday," Remus stated. "I took her flying and she kissed my cheek. Nothing more."

"And she gave you a flower?" James asked, confused.

"I gave her flowers and she gave me one back."

"How romantic," Peter sighed dreamily.

Sirius glared at Peter as Remus turned to James.

"We're studying runes in the classroom. We're friends with similar interest and don't want to be bothered by you three or her three friends while in the library, so we go to the classroom instead. Happy?"

"Be happier if there was snogging," Peter grumbled.

Remus rolled his eyes as the bell rang and the four of them stood heading to their next class as Sirius and James began talking about how James was going to try out for Quidditch the next year since the current chasers would be graduating.

When it came time for Remus and Madam Pomfrey to head to the shrieking shake, he was surprised by how well he was doing. He got to the shack and made himself comfortable on the mattress in the bedroom of the second floor. He felt the change coming but it didn't hurt as much as he shifted, his wolf howling before settling completely. Remus was amazed as he remained in full control of the wolf, curling up on the bed and falling asleep.

He woke in the morning to Madam Pomfrey's gentle shake, offering him a pepper-up potion. He shook his head with a smile, telling her he was alright before heading towards the castle with her. He smirked when he saw Adeline sitting on one wall by the hospital wing and Sirius, Peter, and James sitting on the other.

"What are you four doing here?" Pomfrey questioned, exasperated.

"Remus told me he wasn't feeling well yesterday," Adeline shrugged. "I wanted to check on him and escort him to breakfast if he was up for it?"

"I am," Remus gave her a smile before turning to Pomfrey. "Thank you Madam."

Pomfrey patted his cheek before letting him go. Remus held his hand out and helped Adeline to her feet as the other boys watched on curiously.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better," he told her. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Adeline shrugged before looking to the other three. "I guess I'll leave you with them. I have a potion to start on."

"Be careful," Remus frowned.

"I'll be fine, Remy," she smiled before kissing his cheek and walking off.

Remus held in a groan as he saw the looks the other three were giving him at the nickname and kiss they'd witnessed. He sighed and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast, the other three running after him.

"Remy?" Peter asked.

"Another kiss?" James questioned.

"How'd she know you were here?" Sirius asked.

"Remy?"

"You must be swooning?"

"What is she brewing?"

"Remy!?"

"Yes, Remy," Remus said to Peter before looking to James. "I am not swooning. Sirius, just ask her yourself if you're so interested."

"Oh, I feel like she'd tell all of her secrets to you before she told us," James shrugged and Remus froze, remembering the note. "Remus? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Remus shook his head, continuing forward.

"Didn't seem like nothing," Peter pointed out.

"Shush, you three," Remus demanded as they entered the Great Hall.

"But, Remy," James groaned out. "We want to know more about your girlfriend!"

"Remus has a girlfriend," Peter sang. "Remus has a girlfriend."

"I hate all of you," Remus groaned, sitting in his seat and grabbing a few sausages.

"Do you love her?" Peter joked.

"Do you want to kiss her?" James egged him on.

"Do you want to marry her?" Peter asked.

"She's spoken for in that department," Remus said without thought before freezing up.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Pure blood," James reminded himself before looking to Peter. "Most pure bloods have arranged marriages from the moment they're conceived, especially the girls."

"So, even if she likes Remus, she can't be with him?" Peter asked. "That's so sad."

"Tragic," Sirius said flatly.

"Is that how you know her?" James asked Sirius. "Is it Regulus? Is that why they're with each other all the time?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, deciding not to answer the question.

"She could always run away?" Peter suggested. "She can come live with me!"

"Depending on the contract, she could lose her magic if she were to run away," James explained. "Most marriage contracts state that you have to marry and produce an heir of some kind within a certain amount of time. They have to swear on their magic. Could you get us a copy of the contract, Sirius? Maybe we can find a loophole so that Adeline and Remus can fly into the sunset together."

"James, stop," Remus said, voice with a bit of anger behind it that caused James and Peter to stare at him in shock. "Adeline and I are just friends and I will hear no more of this. Do you understand?"

"Fine," James huffed, stabbing a sausage with his fork.

Peter frowned and went to his own breakfast. The four were silent for the remainder of lunch, Remus heading the library afterwards as the other three ran off somewhere else.

After Charms on Monday, Remus and Adeline were in the classroom, books closed as Remus explained how he had become a werewolf to her. Adeline listened intently, taking his hand when his voice had cracked slightly. Remus finished his story and looked to Adeline, waiting for her to speak.

"When I was I think five, my parents were in an accident. I ended up in an orphanage and began having fits of accidental magic. Miranda and Adrian Shafiq came to me one day and told me that they were taking me home with them. When we got to their place, Miranda began going over proper pureblood etiquette and teaching me how to be a proper lady and witch.

"They blood adopted me a few days later under a new moon. Then they told me the truth. Their daughter, Adeline, had been killed in a fire set by a group of squibs in America that were going after descendants of the pureblood families on the continent and they happened to be there. I was to become Adeline Shafiq and marry a Black son in order to fulfil a misdeed from hundreds of years ago for them or else.

"I went from having these new, loving parents, to having Miranda who grew frustrated easily and would abuse me any time I disappointed her. Adrian tried to remind her that I was just a child, but he was terrified of being found out by Orion and Walburga Black, so he let Miranda do whatever needed to be done to sell me to them.

"Adrian explained that I was muggleborn and that was why it was so easy to find me. He told me that if anyone ever found out, we would all be dead. He burnt any records of me ever existing in the muggle orphanage after Miranda and I had left, so there was nowhere to hide if I ever was found out. I've been Adeline ever since."

"What was your name before?" Remus asked.

"Hathor," Adeline stated. "Bit strange, honestly."

"I wonder if it means anything," Remus thought curiously.

"It means that if I wear this necklace at the end of the year, I'll die," Adeline sighed.

"Which is why we need to get the curses removed. Are you sure we shouldn't take it to Flitwick? We don't have to tell him the truth. We can tell him what you had told me."

"I'm thinking that will be our best option," Adeline sighed. "Neither of us knows how to removed curses from objects."

"Let's go now," Remus suggested, grabbing the box of jewelry and sticking it in his bag. "The sooner we get it to him, the sooner he'll be able to give it back to you."

Adeline and Remus made their way to the Charms room, finding a class in session. Flitwick told them to wait at the back of the room and he would be with them at the end of the lesson. When the bell rang, the fourth-year students left the room and Flitwick approached them.

"How can I help you?" Flitwick asked them curiously.

"Adeline received some jewelry for her birthday from Walburga Black. It's got a few curses on it though and she isn't comfortable wearing it until they're removed. We were wondering if you would be able to help us. We've translated the runes the best we could, but neither of us know how to do anything more," Remus explained.

"May I see the jewelry?" Flitwick asked and Remus handed the box over.

Flitwick made the necklace and earrings hang in the air and made the runes show in the air, showing off the curse. Remus handed their notes to him and Flitwick nodded at the translations and spell suggestions.

"This is a good start," he said. "I'm impressed with the both of you. You're far more advanced than I was at your age. Why not bring the items to me to begin with?"

"I was nervous about it," Adeline admitted. "I wasn't sure if I would get in trouble for even having the items in the school."

"I see," Flitwick nodded. "When do you need the items back by?"

"End of the year?" Adeline asked hopefully.

"I can have it done before then," Flitwick gave her a soft smile. "I've seen runes like this before, unfortunately. Do not worry, dear. I'll have it taken care of in a jiffy."

"Thank you, sir," Adeline sighed. "This means a lot to me."

"No need for thanks," Flitwick smiled. "Off you two pop. Don't want you missing lunch, now do we?"

"Thank you," Adeline smiled as Remus took her hand and dragged her from the room before she thought of possibly hugging the professor.

The two felt lighter now that Flitwick had agreed to help them. They went to the kitchens instead of the Great Hall, grabbing a few items from the house elves before heading outside to eat by the lake together. It was getting colder so Adeline used heating Charms for the both of them as they sat. Lily and Severus found them sometime later, Severus standing away from Remus as Lily stopped to ask how they both were. The four headed back to the castle together as the bell rang, going to their next classes.

The next month passed quickly and it was time to board the train for winter break. After finding a safe way to travel with a potion, Adeline sat beside Reggie and Severus in a compartment, Barty, Evan and Lily across from them as they played exploding snaps. Lily won every hand and Adeline laughed as Barty had to spell his eyebrows back on after one of the rounds. When they reached the station, Lily and Severus went off with her parents, spending the holidays together. Adeline and Regulus approached Orion with smiles, Sirius joining them within a few moments. They left together, all heading to Black manor.

Kreacher greeted them with a bow when they came into the house and Adeline smiled brightly at him, patting his head gently when she was sure Walburga and Orion weren't looking. They headed to the dining room where lunch was prepared. Once they were all sat down, Orion asked how the year was going and the three began telling them the abridged versions of their year so far, leaving out anything that could get them in trouble.

"What is that ring?" Walburga asked, noticing the snake on her finger.

"Her birthday gift this year," Sirius explained.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Adeline held her hand out for Walburga to see the snake. "She moves around sometimes, too."

"Wonderful choice," Walburga approved, nodding to Sirius.

A few days later, they were in Diagon, buying presents for their friends. Adeline had grabbed gifts for all of her boys, Sissy, Lucius, Bella, Walburga, Orion, Severus and Lily. She just needed to find something for Remus and Sirius. She went into the Quidditch store, looking around and letting out a huff when nothing caught her eye before going to the joke shop and just grabbing loads of items, knowing she'd still need an appropriate gift. Remus would be easy to shop for but she didn't want to get him books like everyone else probably would be.

She walked into the secondhand bookstore, walking through the aisles slowly and smiling at the wide selection. She grabbed a few empty journals, deciding to engrave one each for Sirius, Remus, and Lily. She wondered if there were a few Charms she could put one Remus' so that they could communicate through them as well. She looked through the charms section of the shop, brushing through the books until she found one that would work, smiling as she added it to her handheld basket.

She went to head to another section and rounded a corner, bumping into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said immediately. "I wasn't looking at all."

"It's alright, child," a smooth voice spoke and Adeline looked up.

The man in front of her had dark eyes and black hair. High cheekbones and a slightly pointed nose with a simple smile sat upon his handsome face and Adeline took a small step away from the man who could only be in his early thirties if his looks were anything to go by. He was dressed in nice clothes, too nice to belong to anyone other than a pureblood and Adeline wondered which purebloods she may have just offended by bumping into him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his face turning to concern.

"Yes," Adeline shook herself. "My apologies, sir."

"No need to apologize," he smiled. "What have you got there?"

"Oh, just a charms project for a friend and myself," she told him.

"Well, I'm quite gifted at charms. Maybe I can assist?"

"I plan on making it so we can talk back and forth in the journal," she explained. "We study a few different subjects and I want us to be able to share any new information we find over the summer as soon as we can."

"I know just the book you need, but I'm afraid it won't be here. Hold on."

He waved his wand and a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill appeared. He wrote the title and author of the book down before handing it to her. She smiled brightly, thanking him.

"Run along now," he smiled. "Watch around the corners."

"I will, Lord…?" Adeline stumbled a bit.

"Just, Tom," he told her. "And you?"

"Adeline, but my friends call me Adie," she told him.

"Adie it is," he nodded.

Adeline wished him farewell before paying for her items and leaving the store. After calling Kreacher and asking him to take her items home, she met up with Sirius, Regulus, Walburga, and Orion for lunch before they all headed home. Once in her room, she made her order for the book through her owl and used her wand to put the names on the journals that she planned to gift before setting everything aside to add charms to later.

Once all of the presents were in gift boxes, she asked Kreacher if he could deliver them for her. He popped away with the boxes and Adeline pulled out the cookies she'd bought for Kreacher. When he popped back in, she handed them to him with a smile, wishing him a happy Christmas. He gave her a happy look before popping away to go take care of the house.

The book came two days later and Adeline got started, finding multiple charms that she wanted to add to the journals. She began practicing on one of the ones for herself, making the pages never ending and so that only people related to her by blood could read it; blood adoptions not included. She wrote a sentence and called for Kreacher, smiling when she saw half a cookie in his hand.

"Can you see this?" she asked, showing him the book.

"See what miss?" Kreacher asked, confused as he stared at the book.

"Any writing," she clarified.

"No, miss. Is Kreacher supposed to see?"

"No," Adeline smiled. "My spell worked."

"That's good, miss."

"Go enjoy your cookies, Kreacher. Try not to eat them all in one sitting, please?"

"Yes, miss," Kreacher nodded before popping away again.

Adeline found the spell that would make it so she could communicate with Remus and practiced on another extra one, connecting it to the one she'd already been writing in. When her previous sentence appeared, she smiled. She wrote a few sentences in each one, testing if the writing would appear in both books. She grabbed two new journals and added the extending spells to both of them before connecting them to one another. Next she added the privacy charm to her journal and put 'RA' on the bottom corner of both so that she and Remus would know it was the notebook connected to Remus' before adding 'LA' to the bottom of the first journals she'd tried, deciding to send the other one to Lily along with the one for her personal use. Finally, she wrote in her notes on the charms in both of her journals so that they would know what she had done once they opened the journals for the first time.

Her hand was cramping when she finished writing but she sat back with a satisfied smile before sending her owl off with Lily's journal. Her owl returned that night and she decided to send Remus' journals off the next morning. After all of the gifts had been sent off, she put the gifts for everyone who would be in the house Christmas day under her bed before heading down the stairs to get some breakfast.

"You've been in your room for the past few days," Walburga stated.

"Sorry, madam," Adeline said as she sat. "I had to finish a few gifts by hand."

"Well, are you finished now?"

"Yes, madam."

"Would you be interested in helping me with the planning for the Christmas Eve Ball this year? We've only ever had you attend before and I want to be sure you know what to do for when you become lady of the house."

"I would love to," Adeline smiled brightly.

"It won't all be fun," Walburga warned her. "There will be much etiquette and planning."

"I'm willing to learn everything you teach me, Lady Black," Adeline told her and Walburga smiled brightly.

"Eat your breakfast and we'll get started," Walburga told her. "You'll need your wand."

"Yes, madam," Adeline smiled.

"When will you call me mother?" Walburga asked.

"The moment we share a last name," Adeline smirked.

"Fair," Walburga nodded. "Eat."

Adeline ate her breakfast quickly before heading up the stairs, running once she'd reached the correct hall. She passed Sirius and Regulus as she ran, grabbing her wand from her room and running back to the stairs.

"Why are we running this morning?" Regulus asked with a smile.

"Your mother is teaching me how to plan a ball today," Adeline told him.

"The Christmas Eve ball," Sirius groaned. "How did I forget?"

"Must be all the red and gold fuzzing up your brain," Adeline joked.

"All brawn, no brain," Regulus nodded as they reached the bottom landing. "Not to worry. Adeline and I are smart enough for at least four of you."

Adeline went to the drawing room where Walburga was waiting for her as the boys headed to breakfast.

"I've already sent invitations," Walburga explained. "This is the list of attendings. Next year, I'll send it to you ahead of time with descriptions of each person and I'll expect you to have it memorized when we pick you up from the train station."

"Yes, madam," Adeline nodded.

"These are the spells for decorating," Walburga handed her a list. "Go practice over there while I check on a few things."

Adeline began practicing the spells, mastering them quickly and imagining all the ways she could use the spells against her friends. When Walburga returned, she told Adeline where she wanted garland and wreaths to be placed, following along behind Adeline and watching as Adeline followed her instructions. When the drawing room was complete, Adeline decorated the stairway and the other main rooms where people would be gathering.

"Next will be the trees," Walburga explained, leading Adeline back to the drawing room. "One in each corner of each room except this one. The family tree goes here and people will leave gifts for us under it."

"People bring us gifts to the ball?" Adeline asked curiously.

"Yes, they do," Walburga smiled. "You will find that being in a proper pureblood home will result in many who wish to buy something from you. Your parents are lovely; however, they aren't as involved as our family. Many eyes have been on you and Sirius in the past at the event. Your mother keeping you last Christmas did not escape the notice of many other families."

"I'm sorry for having missed it, madam," Adeline told her.

"There is nothing you could have done," Walburga told her. "It is your mothers fault, not your own. Now! For the family tress."

"Should we do this one together?" Adeline asked. "It is the family tree after all."

"While you still won't call me mother?" Walburga joked, actually JOKED.

"Future mother, would you like to decorate the family tree with me?" Adeline asked.

Walburga smiled with mirth before nodding. The two raised their wands together and the tree became decorated. Adeline handed the star ornament to Walburga and she sent it to the top of the tree. Adeline set up the other trees, Walburga nodding as they went, approving of the work Adeline was doing.

"Well, that's decorating," Walburga nodded. "Next we'll go over the food and drink list."

Adeline fell into her bed that night and fell asleep almost instantly, Walburga having kept her moving all day and going over list after list. The next day, they met up with Sissy and Bella to get their gowns fitted, Walburga having already ordered gowns for Sissy and Adeline since they were in school. Catherine smiled when she saw Adeline.

"Miss Shafiq," Catherine smiled. "How has your first year been so far?"

"Good," Adeline smiled. "I'm in two advanced classes."

"Of course, you are," Catherine smiled. "I would expect nothing less."

Once their dresses were fitted, they grabbed lunch and headed home. Walburga and Adeline checked in with Kreacher, asking how everything was coming along before going back to planning the event. On the day of, Adeline and Walburga moved around the house quickly, rechecking the decorations and gramophones that were spelled to play the same music as one another. They moved furniture as needed, making sure there was plenty of sitting and standing room in each room and that there was nothing that anyone could trip over in the drawing room that people would floo into.

Two hours before people were set to arrive, Walburga led Adeline to her private room where their gowns waited. Walburga did Adeline's hair and makeup before spelling the gown onto Adeline and moving on to herself. Once they were both ready, they headed down the stairs together just as guest started arriving. Orion and Sirius stood by the front door, greeting guest that apparated to the event as Walburga and Adeline greeted those who flooed into the drawing room. Walburga introduced Adeline to everyone that came through the floo and Adeline knew that Walburga would be quizzing her later on the names and faces of each one of them.

There were tables with finger foods and sweets scattered through the manor, trays of drinks floating through the air and music flowing through every room. Walburga got the attention of everyone in the house before leading them to the sunroom where the most decorations were and the center of the room was completely empty for dancing.

"As they have the past few years, Sirius and Adeline will lead us into the first dance of the evening," Orion announced and the crowd applauded.

Sirius offered Adeline his arm and led her to the center of the floor. He placed his hand on her waist as hers went to his shoulder, their other hands joining one another. A waltz began playing and Sirius led Adeline through the dance, both of them knowing the steps by heart.

Sirius lifted her into the air and spun her around before placing her back on her feet to continue spinning them. Others began to join now, filling up the floor and hiding Adeline and Sirius in the crowd. Sirius pulled her a bit closer as he continued to dance with her and Adeline fought off a smile. As the song ended, Sirius dipped her slightly before standing her up straight again.

The two let out breaths before dancing for the next few songs, knowing Walburga expected the two of them to be seen enjoying the night as much as possible. As they continued dancing, Adeline found herself lost in memories of multiple Christmas and summer pasts. Sirius seemed to follow her train of thought based upon the gentle smile he was giving her. He lifted her into the air and spun her unexpectedly, causing her to let out a giggle before he set her back down. The two smiled genuinely and began truly dancing with one another, enjoying being with each other again.

Eventually, they were able to leave the dance floor and grab something to eat and drink. Walburga and Orion approached the pair as Sirius was about to lead Adeline back out.

"Children, we want to introduce you to someone," Orion said before stepping aside and revealing a handsome man.

"Tom?" Adeline asked as she stared at the man.

"Hello, Adie," Tom smiled warmly.

"Imagine our surprise when Lord Voldemort told us he had already met you, Adeline," Walburga's tone was firm.

"Lord Voldemort?" Adeline asked before curtsying. "My apologies once again."

"Again?" Walburga asked.

"It was nothing to be concerned about," Tom assured Walburga. "Adie and I ran into each other in a bookstore the other day. I did not realize that she was a Shafiq, nor the betrothed of a Black. We did not introduce ourselves properly. How did that book work out for you?"

"Very well, thank you. It had many spells that I plan to use in the future," Adeline smiled.

"I am glad. If you need more recommendations, please let me know."

"I just may," Adeline nodded.

Once Adeline and Sirius were dismissed for the night by the adults, they headed up the stairs. Sirius pulled his jacket off the moment they were up the stairs and Adeline reached over to undo the bowtie around his neck. He smiled at the action before catching her hands. His smile dropped before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry."

"For?" Adeline asked.

"Everything," he sighed. "For how I treated you, for attacking you, for treating Regulus badly. All of it. I'm especially sorry for how I let James speak to you."

"I am still angry about that," she admitted.

"You should be," Sirius nodded in understanding. "We're supposed to protect each other. We solemnly swore we would. I broke that swear."

"I have a different swear that you can do to make up for it," she smiled.

"And what would that be?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, you see I've just been feeling this need to get away," Adeline sighed before the two of them grinned.

"Go get changed," Sirius told her. "Something warm while I get a plan together."

Adeline went to her room, changing out of her gown and into jeans and a jumper. She pulled on her snow boots over fuzzy socks and grabbed a jacket to wear over her jumper as well. She looked in the mirror and pulled her hair down, her curls framing her face. She used her wand to change her makeup to something a bit less dramatic, causing her features to soften immediately and her eyes to seem bigger and brighter. She sat on her bed and waited, eyes on her window.

She saw Sirius fly up to her window, dressed much like she was, and smiled before jumping off her bed and opening her window. She climbed onto the back of the broom carefully, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding in a laugh as he shot off away from the manor. They flew to the garden, dropping in slowly before landing by a bench. The garden was lit with white candles and empty at the late hour on Christmas Eve. Sirius and Adeline sat on the bench, watching as the snow fell softly around them. They stayed there in the quiet for a while, Adeline's head on Sirius' shoulder.

They flew back to the manor, Sirius helping Adeline back into her window before leaving her. Adeline closed her window and got dressed for bed, falling asleep with a smile on her face. She woke in the morning and got ready before heading down the stairs, finding only Orion awake in the dining room.

"Tea?" he asked her.

"Yes, please," she smiled and Kreacher appeared, pouring Adeline her favorite tea. "Kreacher, can you bring the presents under my bed down and put them under the tree?"

"Yes, young miss," Kreacher nodded before disappearing again.

"Did you enjoy yourself last night?" Orion asked.

"Very much," Adeline smiled as she sipped her tea. "I enjoyed helping plan everything and dancing."

"I'm sure you and Sirius don't get to see much of each other now that you're in separate houses," Orion nodded.

"Well, we do have two classes together," Adeline stated.

"Still. The two of you used to be glued to one another's sides at one point," Orion stated. "I feel a bit of distance between the two of you now."

"We had a bit of a tiff but we spoke about it last night," Adeline admitted. "We're okay now."

"Good. Now, on to a different subject I wished to speak with you," Orion nodded. "You met Lord Voldemort last night. Well, technically it was the second time that you met. What did you think of him?"

"He seemed very nice," Adeline told him. "Proper and well raised. Why?"

"Lord Voldemort stands for many of the same values as the Blacks. Children can sometimes see things that adults cannot though and I wanted your honest opinion."

"Well, as I said, he seems very proper and well raised. He helped me drastically with the book he recommended to me before even knowing who I was," Adeline explained.

"Good," Orion nodded as the others began to join them. "We plan to work with him in the future and having your approval makes it all the easier."

"You do not need my approval to work with people," Adeline smiled.

"True, but it helps," Orion smiled before tapping the table twice.

Eggs benedict appeared in front of Adeline and she smiled before beginning to eat. Once they had all finished their meals, they went to the drawing room, Kreacher putting the gifts into separate piles for each person. Walburga nodded and Regulus, Sirius and Adeline began to open their gifts, Walburga and Orion whispering back and forth under their breath to each other with serious expressions on their faces.

Adeline received books from almost everyone, a few people adding sugar quills as well. Sirius had given her a necklace that matched her ring, this silver snake longer and thicker than the small one on her finger. It draped itself across her shoulders and stilled, Adeline running her finger along its head for a moment before thanking Sirius.

Remus had sent her a few books and a small box with a note to not open it until she was alone. She slipped it into her pocket when no one was looking and moved on.

Lucius had sent her multiple rare potions ingredients, stating in a note that it was to make up for not getting her a real birthday present. She smiled as she thought of the hot chocolate that she had sent him and promised to get him something nicer for his birthday.

When they finished opening gifts, the children were sent upstairs to put their things away. In the quiet of her room, Adeline pulled the small box from her pocket and opened it to find a charm bracelet with a lily on it. She smiled brightly before sliding the bracelet on her wrist and turning when there were three knocks on her door. Sirius gave her a smile before escorting her to the sunroom where Regulus was waiting. They spent the rest of their day there, playing exploding snaps and chess until Kreacher collected them for dinner.

The rest of the break was quiet. Adeline, Regulus and Sirius spent their days together doing random things to entertain themselves. Adeline wrote back and forth to Lily and Remus through her journals at night when she was left alone by the boys. After New Year's day, it was time to head to the station to go back to school and Adeline couldn't have been more thrilled about it, somehow bored in the large manor.

"Adie!" Lily smiled, wrapping Adeline in a hug. "I loved the gifts! Thank you!"

"I'm happy you liked them," Adeline smiled before seeing Severus. "You look dashing."

"Thank you," Severus smiled. "I got new robes for Christmas."

"They suit you," Adeline nodded, hiding her smirk.

"He doesn't know who sent them," Lily told her as the three sat with Regulus.

"Someone sent you new robes and you don't know who?" Regulus asked curiously. "Why wouldn't someone sign a card?"

"I don't know," Severus shrugged as Barty and Evan joined them.

The train began moving and the six told each other about their winter breaks. When they pulled up to the station, they climbed into the self-driving carriages and were pulled to the school. They entered the Great Hall, Lily splitting off from them as she headed to the Gryffindor table before they sat down for dinner.

Classes started up again and Adeline became engrossed in her studies, the teachers giving more homework as end of the year exams approached. Flitwick returned Adeline's jewelry a month after they returned and Adeline thanked him profusely, Remus having to drag her from the room again. She and Remus continued to meet at the empty classroom after their charms classes every week but these sessions were for homework and studying rather than for spilling secrets and trying to remove curses from heirlooms.

Adeline continued brewing wolfsbane potion for Remus every month, making sure that she had the schedule for the potion written in her notebook with Remus. She was worried that, come Summer, she wouldn't be able to brew the potion for him until the school year began again. He told her that he could make do for the few months that she was under scrutiny from Walburga and Orion, knowing she wouldn't be able to explain away the potion to them if they caught her.

As McGonagall turned into a cat during one of their lessons, Adeline got an idea. She ran to the library, looking for any books on Animagus' that she could find, only to discover the book were already checked out and Madam Pince was unwilling to tell her who had them. She groaned in frustration before just approaching McGonagall about it after class one day.

"Professor, may I speak to you?" Adeline asked.

"Of course, Miss Shafiq. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering how one becomes an Animagus, professor?" Adeline sat in the chair across from McGonagall.

McGonagall gave her a smile.

"And why do you wish to turn into an Animagus?" she asked curiously.

"To help a friend," Adeline said honestly.

"How would it help a friend?" McGonagall was confused by her answer.

"I don't think I should say," Adeline told her. "I also just think it would be amazing to do."

"Well, it isn't an easy process," McGonagall told her. "If things go wrong, you could end up stuck as a half-human, half-creature."

"Could be worse," Adeline shrugged.

"There is no cure if that happens."

"Oh."

"Do you still wish to learn?" McGonagall's brow was cocked in challenge.

Adeline smiled and sat straighter.

"Yes, professor."

"Good," McGonagall nodded. "I will send you a booklist by next week. Read all of the books over the summer and we'll speak again at the beginning of the next school year."

"Thank you, professor," Adeline smiled, grabbing her things and heading off.

McGonagall sent her the book list three days later and Adeline made her owl order. The books got there a week after, a few having to be specially ordered for her. She set the books in her trunk and got back to her class studies, knowing she needed to concentrate on her finals before working on her next project.

The night before exams were to start, a flash went off in the Great Hall before fireworks got set off in different place. Adeline recognized the fireworks she had gotten Remus and Sirius for Christmas and smiled, watching the lights flash around the hall, the professors sighing and letting it continue. She looked the Gryffindor table and caught Sirius' wink before they both turned back to the show that released the tension that the students felt from studying so much lately.

Finals took three days to complete and Adeline fell onto the grass by the lake when they were finally done with them, Reggie, Evan, and Barty lying next to her. They all stared up at the sky, not saying anything as they just watched the clouds. Eventually, they all got hungry and headed to the Great Hall to eat. Before they knew it, they were back on the train and heading home for the summer. Barty, Evan, and Lily played exploding snaps, Severus watching on as Reggie stared pass him out the window. Adeline sat across the bench, her feet in Reggie's lap as she wrote in her journal, Remus responding in kind the entire train ride with the last portion of wolfsbane potion that she could make him in his pocket for the next day.

Regulus, Sirius, and Adeline found each other once they got off the train and approached Orion together. They apparated away, landing in the living room of the manor before being sent to their rooms as Walburga went about planning the summer party.

Adeline got ready on her own the next night, putting on the dress robes that Walburga had sent up to her room before putting on the Black jewels that no longer held a curse that could kill her. She smirked at the thought before shaking her head and waiting for Sirius to come to her room and escort her down. Three knocks and she was opening her door, giving Sirius a smile before taking his arm and being led down the stairs.

Adeline greeted the people that she had just seen at Christmas, their names and faces memorized thanks to the list Walburga had sent her. She and Sirius danced a few times before separating so that Adeline could find Barty, Evan and Reggie. She smiled as she approached them and they shook their heads, causing Adeline to stop and look around them.

She noticed Walburga looking at Regulus angrily and immediately made her way over.

"What were you three thinking?" she demanded. "A laughing potion in the punch? I could believe it if Sirius had done it, he's already a disappointment, but you I expected more from Regulus."

"It's my fault," Adeline spoke up and they all looked at her in shock. "I dared Regulus to do it."

"What?" Walburga asked, her voice low.

"I'm sorry, madam," Adeline said, lowering her eyes and looking upset at herself. "I told him that I wasn't feeling well earlier and told him I need a distraction to go lay down so I dared him to pour the laughing potion into the punch."

"You aren't feeling well?" Walburga asked.

"No, madam, but I knew I needed to be here for at least a little while after you told me the reaction people had when I wasn't here last Christmas. I just didn't want to disappoint you in that way again and I thought a little laughing potion wouldn't do any harm."

"To your room," Walburga told her as Sirius approached them. "We will speak later. Regulus, go home with one of your friends. I don't want to look at any of you right now."

"Yes, madam," Adeline nodded before walking away quickly, the boys directly behind her.

Once they were a safe distance away, Regulus grabbed Adeline's arm.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"So that you wouldn't get in trouble," Adeline stated. "Go before she decides to come looking for us. Go on!"

Regulus sighed and left with Barty and Evan.

"You know what she's going to do," Sirius said.

"I have potions that will help afterwards," Adeline told him. "Maybe I'll be able to convince her to punish me some other way."

"Adeline," Sirius sighed, shaking his head and going silent for a minute. "I'll come to you afterwards to check on you."

"Stay in your room," Adeline told him. "If I need you, I'll send Kreacher to find you."

"Kreacher can't help us after a punishment in any way and that includes getting help," Sirius said as they climbed the steps.

"I will find a way to tell you if I need you," Adeline promised. "Go back to the party before you get in trouble as well."

Adeline walked away briskly, shutting her bedroom door and grabbing her journal that she shared with Remus. She grabbed a pen and began writing to him, telling him that she hoped his full moon went well and that she might not be able to talk much soon. She told him how she hoped he would still write to her, even if she couldn't read it right away before hiding the journal and pen in her school things.

She changed into sleeping clothes and laid on her bed, waiting hours before she heard three sharp knocks on her door. She stood, pulling her robe on over her clothes, and opened the door. Walburga stared at her for a moment before entering the room. She looked around Adeline's room before turning to the girl.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked.

"My stomach is slightly upset but I'm feeling much better than I did earlier," it was mostly the truth with her stomach was in knots at that moment. Walburga nodded her head before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You do not understand how much you embarrassed me today," Walburga spoke and Adeline looked down in mock shame. "I had faith in you, Adeline. Was that misplaced?"

"No, madam," Adeline shook her head.

"Why did you not tell me you were feeling unwell? We could have made you a potion."

"I was embarrassed."

"You were embarrassed? Whatever about? It's not as if someone tried to poor laughing potion into the punch of your party," Walburga pointed out.

"The reason I wasn't feeling good is because… well… I started my monthlies the other night," that part was true.

"Oh," Walburga's brows shot up. "You've started having your monthlies?"

"Yes, madam."

"This is excellent news," Walburga stood, a smile on her face. "Why, it means you'll be able to provide us with an heir one day. You should have told me."

"I did not realize, madam. I apologize," Adeline gave a weak smile. "I feel like I'm doing a lot of that tonight."

"Yes, well, I will give you a warning this time as you've given me such happy news," Walburga smiled and Adeline wasn't sure how cramps were happy news for anyone. "Get into bed and rest. You're to stay in your room for the remainder of the week as your punishment. Kreacher will bring your meals and any pain potions that you need."

"Thank you, madam," Adeline nodded.

Walburga gave Adeline a gentle hug before leaving the room, shutting the door behind herself. Adeline felt shocked before shrugging it off and grabbing her summer homework, finishing the charms essay that she'd almost completed before the last day of school. Sirius knocked on her window a few minutes later, hovering on his broom. Adeline opened the window and gave him a smile.

"You don't look like someone who's recently been tortured," he pointed out.

"Being a girl has its perks," Adeline shrugged. "I am locked in my room for the rest of the week though."

"Do you want to go flying?' he asked and Adeline thought about how uncomfortable that would feel at the moment.

"No, not this week. I'm going to get all of my homework done. Then I won't have to worry about it for the rest of the break."

"Bookworm," Sirius sighed.

"You should get yours done as well," Adeline told him. "Then you can enjoy the rest of the break without interruption."

"I guess," Sirius sighed. "Find a way to tell me if you need an out."

"I will," Adeline promised.

"How will you?"

"I have my ways," Adeline smirked before shooing Sirius away.

She wrote to Remus, telling him she would be able to write him after all. She wrote him for a little longer before putting the notebook away and going to sleep. The next week was spent getting all of her summer homework done and writing to Remus. Kreacher would bring her favorites for each meal and Adeline just knew he was making it on the side of whatever he was making for everyone else. At the end of the week, Adeline had finished her assignments and had started on her Animagus reading. She had one of the books in hand when Walburga came to her room.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Adeline, sitting on the end of Adeline's bed.

"Better," Adeline told her with a smile.

"Did you get all of your assignments finished?" Walburga asked as she eyed Adeline's organized desk.

"Yes, madam," Adeline nodded.

"Good. Get dressed. We're going to lunch today," Walburga pat Adeline's leg before leaving the room.

Adeline got dressed and fixed her hair and makeup before heading down the stairs. She found Sirius and Regulus looking rather put out in the drawing room, their faces lighting up when they saw her.

"You've escaped Azkaban," Sirius joked.

"Quiet," Walburga said, sweeping into the room with Orion.

"How are you feeling?" Orion asked her.

"Better," she told him. "Thank you."

They were in Diagon again and Adeline wondered if it was simply because Walburga knew people from the Prophet were always in the area. It certainly painted a pretty picture of the family as they ate at the French restaurant, their table lively with conversation before the kids separated from the parents. As soon as Walburga and Orion were out of sight, Sirius, Regulus and Adeline were off. They hit the joke shop and bookstore before getting a bag of candy each, calling for Kreacher to hide the candy and joke items in Adeline's room at home.

They met back up with Lady and Lord Black at the tea shop, getting a cup of tea before heading home. The summer went by in much the same fashion. Once a week, the family would end up in the Prophet after a lunch outing where Walburga and Orion would leave the trio to their own devices as they went to take care of some business or another. The children would be photographed on the street or in the bookshops, but somehow never in the joke or candy shop. Adeline wondered if Orion had something to do with that as well.

Sissy and Bella were at the manor almost every day with Walburga and Adeline, going over wedding preparations. When the cousins left, Walburga would ask Adeline what she wanted for hers and Sirius' wedding one day. Adeline would answer in the way she knew Walburga expected and Walburga would nod her approval every time.

Every month, the day after the full moon, Adeline would send chocolates to Remus via owl with a note about chocolate making everything better. Just under a month before they were set to return to Hogwarts, Sissy's wedding was set up at the manor, Walburga and Orion hosting in place of Sissy's parents, now that both were gone. Bella and Adeline helped Sissy get ready in her shining, white gown and Black family diamonds. Adeline walked the aisle first in a soft, green dress, Bella walking behind her in a darker green.

Once Sissy and Lucius had said their vows and their marriage contract was signed, the reception began and Adeline was thrilled to be left alone, the wedding planning having exhausted her. She wondered if she could convince Walburga to let a wedding planner do all the work for them when the day came for her to get married.

Sirius lead her into a few dances before leaving her as Orion demanded his attention. Adeline gave him a sympathetic smile before being spun around the floor by Reggie. He smirked before lifting her effortlessly and causing a small laugh to escape her before she was passed over to Evan. He danced with her slowly, giving her a break from all the spinning the Black sons had decided to do. He tapped her head with his wand, fixing her hair without a thought before giving her to Barty, who decided to follow the Black lead in the spinning and trying to muse her hair.

Finally, she was able to sit and catch her breath. Kreacher popped in behind her and she turned in confusion. He passed her the journal labeled 'RA,' which was glowing brightly, and disappeared. Adeline opened it immediately, recognizing the charm that told her if Remus was in distress and found the message telling her that his father was dead. She shut the journal, hiding it in her robes before searching for Sirius. She found him standing with Tom, Rudolphus, and Lucius looking rather uncomfortable in the small group of lords.

"Hello," Adeline curtsied to the group before turning to Sirius. "I was wondering if I could steal you for the last waltz before we're sent away for the night?"

"Anything for my future bride," Sirius smiled before turning to the Lords. "Gentlemen."

Lucius watched them carefully before turning back to the other two.

"He could be a problem," Lucius told them. "His Gryffindor sensibilities could tilt the Black house in the future once Walburga and Orion have passed."

"Would she agree to that?" Rudolphus asked curiously, eyes on Adeline.

"I doubt it. She's a miniature Walburga at this point. Raised well and now living in the Black manor when she isn't at Hogwarts," Lucius explained. "Many in Slytherin watched her during her first year to make sure she wouldn't turn out like him."

"Good," Rudolphus nodded. "I hope they do keep an eye on her for us."

"I'm sure we have nothing to worry about with her," Tom smirked. "We've become pen pals of sorts. She is very advanced in magic and I'm hoping that Walburga will allow me to mold her a bit. She could lead the witches in our direction if so."

Adeline and Sirius danced further from the three wizards and Adeline led Sirius into the sunroom before dragging him to the drawing room.

"What's wrong?' Sirius asked her as she reached for the floo powder.

"We need to get to Remus," she said before throwing the powder in and stepping into the floo with Sirius, calling out Remus' address before being swept away.

Adeline and Sirius stepped out of the floo and into the Lupin home, finding the living room empty. Adeline made her way through the house slowly, wand out and at the ready. She found a door open and peaked inside, finding Remus staring down at the notebook and waiting for her to answer. She sighed in relief at finding him and rushed forward, catching his attention.

"What are you doing here?" he asked wiping at his tears.

"Did you think I wasn't going to rush over here as soon as I could?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

Remus held her just as fiercely before he started crying into her shoulder.

"What's happened?" Sirius asked, his voice soft as he placed a hand on Remus' shoulder.

"His father passed," Adeline said simply, moving Remus to the bed.

She laid down and pulled Remus to her chest, letting him cry as she held him. Sirius left the room and she heard the floo light up, assuming he had called for James and Peter. James and Peter showed up a few moments later, Sirius nowhere in sight as the two boys joined them on the bed, piling onto Remus. Sirius returned a few minutes later and sat at the edge of the bed, his hand resting on Adeline's calf as Remus fell asleep, exhausted from crying.

"I went back to the manor and told Walburga that a friend's father died. She said to take all the time we need and to check in as often as possible," he explained.

"She was that understanding?" Adeline asked with a raised brow and Peter and James were surprised to hear the tone Adeline used while talking about Walburga.

"Not quite but father was," Sirius smirked. "Kreacher packed a small bag for you. I believe every bit of candy you own is in that bag."

"Will you get a few chocolate bars out and set them on the table there for Remus?" she asked.

"You've been sending him the chocolate?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Adeline nodded before thinking things over. "I need my potions equipment. I need to brew a potion for him."

"I don't think a potion is going to fix things," James shook his head.

"Perhaps not but it'll help," Adeline explained as Sirius stood and left through the floo again.

Adeline slid out from under Remus, putting his head on a pillow before climbing off the bed and stretching.

"What are you wearing?" Peter asked in confusion. "Did the two of you come from a party?"

"Wedding," Adeline and James said at the same time before Adeline continued. "I'm going to change and let Remus' mother know who all is here."

The two boys nodded as Adeline grabbed her bag and found a bathroom. After changing into muggle clothes before cleaning all of the makeup from her face. She found the other room in the house and knocked lightly. She pushed the door open and found Remus' mother staring at the ceiling, a vacant expression on her face.

"Miss?" Adeline tried. "My name is Adeline. I'm a friend of Remus. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here along with a few more of his friends."

When she didn't even blink, Adeline moved further into the room.

"Miss?"

Her head turned to Adeline but didn't take her in at all. Adeline sighed before leaving the room in time to find Sirius and Reggie returning with her things. They went to Remus' room and Reggie began setting up the cauldron in a corner where no one would trip over it. Sirius showed her the multiple potions books he'd brought and she grabbed the one she needed before having Sirius set the other books aside. Adeline set the book on the desk and pulled her hair into a messy bun, using her wand to hold her hair in place.

Peter and James stared in confusion as Adeline and Sirius moved around each other effortlessly, Reggie taking the items she didn't need back to the manor, leaving the group alone.

"Kreacher?" Adeline called and the elf appeared. "Will you bring me the other journal, please?"

"Yes, miss," Kreacher popped away before returning a moment later.

"Thank you," Adeline thanked him and Kreacher bowed before disappearing, not even glancing at the others in the room.

Adeline sat in front of the cauldron, opening the journal and grabbing a pen from her bag and writing to Lily to explain what happened before getting started. She prepped the ingredients quickly, knowing she only had a few more hours before it would be too late to start the potion. Sirius sat beside her, passing her anything she asked for as she began on the potion, measuring ingredients out as he stared at the book with her.

Adeline wiped the sweat from her bow as the sun began to rise in the sky and she nodded in satisfaction, the potion simmering as it should be. She looked to Sirius, finding him in a similar manner to her, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. She turned and saw James and Peter asleep on either side of Remus and smiled, wishing she had a camera.

Sirius left the room and Adeline heard the pop of apparition a few times before Sirius returned with a camera. He snapped a picture of the three and Adeline smirked before turning back to the potion and checking over it, concentrating as she prepared the next ingredients. She heard the camera snap again and turned to find Sirius pointing the camera at her before he left the room and one last 'pop' was heard.

Adeline yawned and leaned against the bed, closing her eyes as she stretched her legs out in front of herself. Sirius sat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder, his head landing on her head as the two fell asleep. Sirius woke to James nudging his shoulder softly. Sirius sat up straight, causing Adeline to stir as well.

"We were going to go find some breakfast," James explained to them.

"I can make something," Adeline said, taking Sirius's offered hand to help her stand.

"You'll make something?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Adeline nodded, heading to the kitchen where Remus was making tea for everyone.

She forced him to sit before exploring the kitchen herself and finding teacups and cooking equipment. She put teacups for everyone on the table, along with the warmed water and tea leaves, Sirius going to the fridge and finding cream they could use as Adeline placed sugar on the table as well. Sirius made Adeline's tea before making his own, passing her the cup as she passed him on the way to the fridge.

She pulled out eggs, mushrooms, and tomatoes before getting started. She roasted the tomatoes and sauteed the mushrooms before frying the eggs and making toast. She placed a plate in front of Remus first before feeding the other boys. She made a plate for herself before carrying a plate to Remus' mother's room, setting it on the table beside the bed with a cup of tea. She joined them in the kitchen again, Sirius standing so she could sit to eat. Sirius waved his wand and the dishes began to wash themselves, plates and utensils being added as each person finished their breakfast, Remus taking the longest and only eating when Adeline gave him an unimpressed look.

"I need to go back to the manor to check in with Walburga," Adeline told him. "Don't touch the potion in your room. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Remus nodded and Adeline smirked.

"There may be chocolate on your desk."

"Of course, there is," Remus gave a weak smile and laugh.

She kissed Remus and Sirius on the cheek before leaving through the floo, sighing as she stepped into Black manor before realizing what she was wearing. She used her wand to transform her muggle clothing into robes, finishing just as Walburga came into the room to see who had entered the home.

"Adeline," Walburga sighed. "How is your friend?"

"His mother is in a bit of shock," Adeline admitted. "I'm not sure how to help. What are the protocols for a wizarding funeral? I've only ever seen muggle ones while in America."

"Do you want my assistance?" Walburga asked carefully.

"Possibly," Adeline nodded. "Let me ask Remus first."

"Remus?" Walburga asked.

"He's one of the Gryffindors who defended me last year," she explained. "We study together."

"What's his surname?"

"Lupin."

"Ah," Walburga nodded. "Well, get what you came here for and call for Kreacher if you need something."

"Yes, madam," Adeline nodded before heading to her room.

She grabbed the ingredients that she had hidden in her room, along with a vial to store the potion in for when she finished it. She went to Sirius' room next, grabbing a few things she knew he would want with him before leaving the manor and heading back to Remus' home. When she got there, she put hers and Sirius' things in Remus' room before checking in on his mother again and seeing she hadn't ate the food or drank the tea that Adeline had left for her.

Adeline waved her wand and sent the dishes to the kitchen to wash. She went searching for the boys next, finding them in the backyard, soaking up the sun. She watched them from the back porch for a few minutes before heading back inside and looking through the sparse kitchen and deciding to walk to the market and get some groceries for the house.

She put her clothing back to normal and grabbing the bag of coins she had hidden away in her clothes, digging out the muggle money that she hid from the Blacks. She set out to the Tesco down the way, buying everything she could carry back to the house and paying quickly, the clerk giving the twelve-year-old a strange look. Adeline simply smiled before leaving the store.

Her arms were hurting when she got back and James, being the only one in the house at the time, ran over to take some of the groceries from her.

"Thank you," she told him with wide eyes before setting down the groceries that were still in her arms on the table. "I didn't think I'd make it to the kitchen to be honest."

"What all did you get?" James asked. "Is this from a muggle store?"

"Just some groceries and snacks and yes. Does Remus like crisps?" Adeline asked him, holding up the bag.

"I'm sure he does," James nodded, giving Adeline a strange look. "How did you buy all of this?"

"With pounds," Adeline shrugged, moving around the kitchen and putting stuff away by hand.

"You have muggle money and muggle clothes?" James asked.

"Don't tell Walburga," Adeline joked. "Where are the others?"

"Still outside," James explained. "My mother is here. She's trying to get Remus' mother out of bed."

"I'll make them some tea," Adeline nodded. "Would you like some?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'll go back to Remus."

"Tell him I got those little cakes that he likes," she said as she moved around the kitchen, heating the water and choosing an afternoon tea to make.

James went out the back door and Adeline finished the tea, carrying two cups to the room. She pushed the slightly open door wide enough so that she could walk in and Lady Potter turned to see the girl, giving her a curious look before noticing the tea in her hands. Adeline handed one to her before looking into Remus' mom's vacant eyes.

"Mrs. Lupin, I brought you some tea," Adeline said gently.

"Who are you?" James' mother asked.

"Adeline," she answered. "A friend of Remus."

"Adie," Remus' mother spoke softly and Adeline almost jumped for joy at the progress.

"That's right," Adeline told her. "I brought some tea for you."

"Let's sit up, Hope," James' mother stated and Hope shook her head.

"No, Mia," Hope said, her voice cracking.

"Please?" Mia asked. "Remus wants to see you."

"Remus?" Hope asked, her voice a bit clearer now.

"Yes, Remus," Mia nodded. "We have to sit up to see him."

Hope nodded and Mia helped her to sit up. Adeline passed her the cup of tea, keeping her hands near it to help if she was needed. Hope drank the tea slowly before handing it back to Adeline, who placed it next to Mia's on the bedside table.

"Are you hungry, miss?" Adeline asked.

"We don't have much," Hope admitted.

"Not to worry," Adeline told her gently. "I may have run down to the Tesco."

"Sweet child," Hope sighed, looking to Mia again.

"Very sweet," Mia gave Hope a small smile. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit," Hope admitted.

"I'll be back in a jiff," Adeline promised, leaving the room and closing the door completely behind her.

In the kitchen, Adeline put together a sandwich before adding crisps to the plate. She set a few more sandwiches on the table and took the plate to Hope's room. She set the plate on the table with the tea before excusing herself to fetch the boys for lunch. Three of the boys turned to look at her as she approached them in the backyard but Remus remained still, his eyes closed as she kneeled beside him.

"Remy?" she asked gently and his eyes fluttered open. "It's time for lunch. James' mum is getting your mum out of bed."

"She's moving?" Remus asked hopefully.

"She drank some tea and was in the bath when I took her lunch. We'll see how it goes. Lunch is on the table for everyone. I need to check on my potion," Adeline explained.

"Have you eaten since breakfast?" Sirius asked.

"I'll eat later," Adeline promised him. "I have a few things to do first."

Sirius nodded before standing and offering his hand to Adeline. He helped her stand and the others watched before standing as well. Remus pulled Adeline into a tight hug before they moved towards the house.

"Thank you for coming," he whispered to her. "Thank you for bringing him."

"Anything for you, Remy," Adeline smirked before pulling away and shooing him and the others into the house.

She should have known having the four boys in one house would result in disaster honestly. Mia and Hope planned the funeral, Adeline offering help where she could and asking Kreacher to get Walburga's advice every so often as the week progressed. James, Peter, and Sirius were in charge of keeping Remus distracted and unfortunately Adeline was right there for them to prank. She glared as her hair turned pink and her clothes went orange as she made dinner one night, the four boys snickering as she corrected her appearance.

As the pranks slowly began increasing, she began planning. She remembered the spells from Christmas and smirked. She was sleeping in the living room as the boys stayed in Remus', Adeline only going in to check on her potion and add more ingredients when necessary, but otherwise staying out of the area. The day before the funeral, everyone's spirits were completely diminished, the boys not even trying to prank her as the day wore on. She frowned for a moment before smirking, pulling her wand from her hair and shooting a spell at James.

"Oof!" he breathed out heavily as a Christmas garland wrapped around him.

"What?" Sirius asked before Christmas wreaths suddenly piled on him.

Peter tried to run but tripped on an ornament before more garland appeared, wrapping him up tightly. Remus simply smirked at her, standing still and waiting for his punishment. A star appeared on top of his head as ornaments hung from his clothes.

"Well, aren't you the prettiest tree?" Adeline smirked, staring at her handy work.

"Christmas décor? Really?" he asked.

"It was that or antlers," Adeline joked. "Though I think James does need some. The garland would look lovely wrapped around them."

Remus let out a small laugh before bending at the waist as a full belly laugh overtook him. Suddenly, they were all laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, before Peter threw an ornament at Adeline. She caught it with quick reflexes and threw it back. Ornaments went flying then, Adeline conjuring them as the boys grabbed them from their own clothing and began tossing them. Hope and Mia came into the room, staring at the five children running around each other and laughing.

Adeline felt she was doing rather well until Sirius grabbed her from behind and lifted her off her feet.

"No!" Adeline yelled, still laughing. "You're supposed to protect me!"

"All is fair in love and war," Sirius joked before throwing her on the couch.

James and Peter dumped the garland and wreaths on her, all laughing. Remus sat down on the floor in front of her, star still on his head somehow. Adeline flicked it and it fell off before she waved her wand and caused all of the decorations to disappear in an instant. Remus tilted his head back, giving Adeline a fond smile before speaking.

"Remind me to have you teach me that one later," he smirked.

"Can't, I'm afraid," Adeline sighed. "It's a Lady Black secret."

"You aren't a Lady Black, though," Peter pointed out.

"She will be one day, Pete," James stated. "Don't you read the papers? These two are practically married already."

"Unless I get disowned," Sirius pointed out.

"Oi! You are not making me get stuck with Regulus!" Adeline argued before shuddering. "I love him but it would be too weird. He's like a brother to me. I know you purebloods are into the incest thing but I'm not."

"You purebloods?" James asked. "Aren't you one of them?"

"Not the incest kind," Adeline stated.

"You aren't actually related," Sirius pointed out.

"Might as well be," Adeline told him.

"Wait," Peter spoke up. "You're engaged? You gave her a concussion on the first day of school!"

Sirius groaned and fell to the floor beside Remus as Adeline gasped.

"I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be mad at you," she groaned.

"That would be the Black charm," Sirius smirked arrogantly.

"What did I say about that look?" she asked him.

"That you don't like it," Sirius grumbled, frowning and turning away from her.

"They really are a couple," James joked. "Here we thought she would end up with Remy."

Adeline kicked James so that he fell off the couch, causing the others to begin laughing again.

"I'll give you a tail," he threatened.

"I'll kick your knee out again," Adeline threatened back and James flinched.

The funeral went as well as a funeral could go. It was depressing and too many people who didn't really care offer condolences. Walburga and Orion showed up to the shock of everyone involved but shocked Adeline and Sirius further when she gave them permission to stay with a friend for the remainder of the summer due to a holiday they needed to take for Orion's business.

Mia had immediately spoken up for both children, but Hope had ended up taking Adeline instead, explaining how much of a help she had been to the Lupin's the past week. Walburga had nodded and asked that the two children have a chaperone at all times, which Hope agreed to. Adeline and Sirius shared looks behind Lord and Lady Black's backs before putting their masks back into place and bidding the two farewell.

Lily came to the funeral as well, having owled Remus a few times in the past week to check on him. Remus gave Adeline a look when he'd received the first owl, knowing it had been her doing. For the remainder of the summer, Adeline worked on the potion before receiving her Hogwarts letter. She and Remus flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, getting some lunch before buying their school supplies. Remus gave Adeline his own schoolbooks from the year before with his notes already inside, so all she truly needed was a charms and potions book. They spent extra time in the bookstore, looking for books on the list that Tom had sent to her before heading back to the house.

Once at the house, Adeline and Remus began pouring over their new books, determined to read over each book at least twice before the new school year. Adeline, after reading her schoolbooks, started in on her fourth read of the Animagus books, quizzing herself as she went. Remus caught sight of one of the books, lifting it slightly in her hand so he could read the title as she kept reading.

"Are you studying to be an Animagus?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I am," Adeline smirked. "I figured you shouldn't get all the fun of becoming a furry creature all to yourself."

"Really witty," Remus rolled his eyes.

"I thought so," Adeline smirked. "McGonagall agreed to teach me."

"In your second year?" he asked, brows raised.

"Well, I figured I won't make any real progress this year. Maybe by next year? It's going to take a lot," Adeline explained. "It's very advanced."

"So why not wait?" Remus asked.

Adeline just looked at Remus emotionlessly. He stared right back before it clicked in his head. A look of shock covered his features before he gave her a look of awe.

"Adeline, you absolute Hufflepuff," Remus gasped. "You're doing it for me?"

"Well, I know the potion won't stop the pain of the transformation," Adeline stated. "I plan on trying to tweak the potion eventually. It's a difficult potion but I've written a few notes on it that I want to try. Obviously, I won't know if the changes work until a werewolf tries it and I don't fancy using you as a guinea pig."

"I'd rather you didn't," he smirked before letting her go back to her reading, returning to his own in the process.

The night before they were to head back to Hogwarts, Remus sent Adeline away so he could be alone for the full moon. Even with the potion, he didn't want to accidentally hurt her. She packed her things, gave him the potion and left, Hope locking him in the safe room in their basement before leaving to go to her sister's for the night. Adeline sighed as she packed her Hogwarts bag, making sure she had everything she needed from her homework to her schoolbooks to her journals to her potions ingredients and equipment. Kreacher checked over her bag for her to make sure she had everything before bringing her dinner to her room. He sat on the floor, eating beside her before popping away with the dishes.

The next morning, Kreacher apparated Adeline and her things directly into platform nine-and-three-quarters before giving her a bow, ears flapping before he left her alone. She was early, the only one on the platform at the time, the train not even being there yet. The quietness surrounded her and she smiled, sitting against the wall and pulling out her potions book to finish writing her own notes in. The train pulled up, whistle blowing and Adeline boarded, choosing whatever compartment she wanted and opening the window so that her friends could see her once they arrived.

She finished her potions notes and put the book away, looking out as people began to arrive. She smiled when she saw Lily and Severus talking excitedly to each other as they boarded the train, having seen her from outside and joining her quickly. Regulus, Barty, and Evan all boarded the train together, piling into the compartment and greeting Adeline happily. Adeline smiled back before looking out the window, her smile brightening when Remus finally appeared. He gave her a wave before boarding the train, stopping by to say hello to her and Lily before James, Peter, and Sirius appeared.

"Snivellus," James smirked. "Can't make any other friends in your own year?"

"Go away, Potter," Severus growled.

Adeline sighed before standing and facing the Gryffindors.

"I will make you look like a Christmas tree again," she promised and James rolled his eyes before walking away, the other three following behind.

"Again?" Lily asked as Adeline closed the compartment door.

"Long story," Adeline sighed before falling back into her seat. "How was your summer, Severus?"

The group of six talked about their summers for the rest of the train ride until they arrived at the station. Lily joined the Gryffindors in the Great Hall and Adeline smiled as she watched the sorting, cheering with the other Slytherins every time a new snake joined them. Dumbledore spoke a few strange words and tapped his knuckles on the table and the feast began.

The first few weeks of school went by quickly until the quidditch schedule was announced, along with tryouts. Adeline followed Reggie, Barty, and Evan to the pitch to watch the tryouts, Reggie watching carefully as the seventh-year seeker flew around the pitch.

"Are you going to try out next year?" Adeline asked him.

"Yes," he said simply, eyes still on the pitch.

"Does that mean I'll actually have to go to games then?" Adeline questioned.

"Yes," he repeated.

"No," Adeline groaned, leaning into Barty. "Don't let him make me, Barty? Please?"

"Sorry, Adie," Barty smirked. "I don't think I can talk him out of this one."

"Boo," Adeline whined before sitting up again and watching as the Slytherin captain sent people to the stands to watch rather than continue to fly.

Once tryouts were over, it began to sprinkle and the group of four sprinted back to the castle together. They stepped inside just in time for Peeves to throw water balloons on them, making sure they were thoroughly wet. Adeline growled at him before preforming drying charms on herself and the other Slytherins as they came through the doors. They each thanked her before going to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Working like a house elf, are you?" Sirius joked as he approached her.

"Figured I'd do my good deed of the year," she shrugged with a smirk before taking his arm and being led to the Great Hall.

Several people turned to stare at them as they made their way to the Slytherin table. Sirius gave her a smirk before kissing her hand and leaving her with his brother.

"Who's he putting a show on for?" Reggie asked as Adeline sat.

"I've no idea," she answered before grabbing a hot chocolate.

Through the next week, Sirius kept showing up to escort her to meals and classes, partnering with her in potions. He had tried in charms but she had firmly planted herself next to Remus in class and refused to switch with Peter when asked. Remus simply smirked and rolled his eyes as Sirius grumbled under his breath.

"Use your wolf hearing and tell me what he just said?" Adeline whispered so that only Remus could hear her.

"That's not how it works," he whispered back.

"Then what even is the point of it," Adeline huffed out loud and leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed.

"I don't think it's supposed to have benefits," he smirked, leaning back as well.

"Well, that's rather rude of it," Adeline complained. "The least it could do is give you a few extra abilities."

"It does," Remus nodded.

"And what would those be?" she questioned.

Remus leaned in close, whispering into Adeline's ear.

"Once a month I get the fun of becoming a furry creature all to myself."

Adeline laughed loudly, causing a few people to look at them. She apologized to Flitwick for the disturbance and got back to her notes, Remus following her lead as he bit down his own laughter. After class, they headed to the abandoned classroom and began going over a few spells from the book Tom had sent her earlier in the week, both having already read the book a few times at that point. Once they were finished, they exited the classroom to find James, Peter, and Sirius outside waiting for them.

"What are you three doing here?" Adeline asked with a confused smile.

"We figured we'd join you in studying but the door was locked and silenced," James shrugged.

"Why are you really here?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Sirius wanted to check on Adeline," Peter spoke up, flinching slightly at the looks he received from James and Sirius.

"Why are you checking on me?" she asked.

"I just am," Sirius shrugged.

"You've be escorting me everywhere as well," she added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Go ahead."

"Privately."

"I'll see you later, Remus," Adeline gave him a kind smile and he walked away, dragging James and Peter with him.

Once they were alone, Sirius sighed.

"There are rumors going around that you and Remus are dating," he explained.

"And?" Adeline asked, having already heard the rumors.

"And I don't want someone reporting it back to my mother. This way, the Slytherins will know that we're still truly betrothed."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

"I also wanted to show you that I'm trying to be myself again," Sirius said nervously. "I really messed up last year and I wanted you to know that I don't plan on letting it happen again this year."

Adeline nodded before giving him a small smile.

"Walk me to lunch?" she asked.

Sirius smiled and held out his arm for Adeline to take. They walked to the Great Hall, Sirius taking her over to Regulus before heading towards his friends as he had been doing all week. The next day, McGonagall asked Adeline to stay after class. She quizzed her on her Animagus knowledge before smiling brightly.

"I do not think you have the magical capabilities to transform yet but I can give you a few more books to read until your thirteenth birthday this year."

"Thank you, Professor," Adeline smiled.

McGonagall gave her the list and sent her on her way. Adeline sent her owl out with the order before searching for Remus. She found him as he was leaving Herbology with Sirius, Peter and James.

"I just spoke with McGonagall," Adeline said, walking backwards so she could face him as they spoke.

"What did she say?" he asked with a fond smile.

"She's told me a few more things that she wanted me to read and that we can begin after my birthday."

"Brilliant!" Remus lifted Adeline into a hug before setting her on her feet again.

"What are they talking about?" Peter asked James, who simply shrugged as Sirius glared at the two for a moment.

"What do you reckon you'll be?" Remus asked quietly as they headed away from the other three.

"No clue," she shook her head. "Whatever you turn into is supposed to reflect who you truly are though."

"What if you turn into an American crocodile?" Remus joked.

"That's not funny. I could actually turn into something terribly boring," she said, eyes wide in fear.

"The horror," Remus laughed as they headed to potions.

Slughorn gave them a smile as they took their seats, Adeline in front of Remus as Sirius entered the room and took the spot next to her, Evan shooting him a glare as he sat beside a Slytherin in the year above them. She bumped Sirius' shoulder with her own, giving him a small smile before turning to the front of the room and giving Slughorn all of her attention.

Adeline had just started another round of potion for Remus in the abandoned bathroom, another cauldron to the side for her to experiment with. She followed the steps perfectly for the first potion, placing a piece of parchment against the cauldron with a sticking charm so she would remember what stage she was at with the potion as she turned to the other. She began the next potion, changing a few of the ingredients and quantities as she went.

Through the month, she continued both potions, Remus joining her a few times to help her prepare the ingredients as she went. He smirked at the experiment potion, knowing she just couldn't help herself with trying something new. Towards the end of the month, with a grumpy attitude, Remus gave her a harsh look.

"Am I supposed to try this untested potion?"

"Of course, not," Adeline shook her head. "I found a few ways to test it without you drinking it. Professor Slughorn recommended a book for me to reference."

"You told him?"

"No," Adeline's voice was gentle. "I asked him how one would test if potions were viable or not in a way that would involve not drinking said potion. I made it hypothetical and gave no details on the potion in any way."

Remus sighed before rubbing his face. He gave Adeline an apologetic look before passing her the mandrake leaf that she pointed at. She gave him an understanding smile before continuing the potions. Both finished at the same time and Adeline began writing in the margins of her changed potion different ways to make the brew time shorter for next month. After bottling the vial of normal potion for Remus and passing it to him to take the next day, along with a pepper-up potion for the day, which he downed as soon as she told him what it was, she put the experiment potion in a vial.

After separating from Remus, she went to the abandoned classroom and opened the library book. She turned to the pages she'd bookmarked and began going through the instructions one last time before performing the necessary spells. She smiled as the potion glowed golden, showing that it would work successfully if drank. After putting away the book and dumping the potion, as it would expire the day after next, she left the classroom and headed towards the dungeons, the common room quiet as most students were at a Quidditch match, to study.

At the beginning of October, she made a journal for herself and Tom, marking these ones as 'TA' before sending his with her owl. Later that night, she opened the journal just in time to see him writing to her. The two wrote back and forth for a few hours, discussing her classes and what areas she truly wanted to study before she headed off to bed. Her owl returned the next morning with three books for her to read. She smiled as she pulled the parcel free from her owl and fed it a bit of bacon, opening the potion book first.

The end of the month approached quickly and Adeline's birthday was upon them. Once she was dressed for classes, she went to the common room to find Reggie, Evan, and Barty speaking to a few fourth-year students. Adeline approached them, taking her spot beside Regulus and listening in.

"I'm just saying we should do something about it. The mudbloods in this school need to be taught their place," one of the fourth years stated, voice heavy.

They began walking out of the dungeons now that Adeline had joined them, continuing their conversation.

"What do you suggest?" Evan asked curiously and Adeline felt her heart drop slightly, realizing that all three of her boys were fully willing to hurt muggleborns.

"Well, if anyone asks, it's simply a prank. We've brewed a potion in our room that we want to slip into a few drinks. You know how pranks go wrong sometimes," the other fourth year smirked.

"What potion?" Adeline asked curiously.

"Quiet, girl," the fourth year snarled and Adeline raised an unimpressed brow as Regulus froze where he stood.

"Apologize to the future Lady Black," Regulus growled through his teeth, anger clear on his face.

The two fourth years then realized who they had spoken to, their eyes going wide as they looked to her.

"Our apologies, Lady Shafiq," the first one said, bowing his head.

"I did not realize who had spoken," the one who had been rude stuttered out, eyes and head low. "I apologize."

"What potion?" Adeline asked again.

"Lady Shafiq is a potions prodigy," Evan stated. "If she asks about a potion, you tell her about the potion."

"Yes, Lord Rosier," the first one nodded before looking to Adeline again. "It's Draught of Living Death. It would put the drinking into such a deep sleep…"

"That they seem dead," Adeline nodded. "I've brewed it before. Have you before now?"

"Well, we did in potions class once," he admitted.

"What are your names?" she asked curiously.

"Avery," the rude one answered, bowing again.

"Mulciber," the other one bowed out of respect rather than fear as Avery had.

"And who do you wish to use this potion on without knowing if it is even brewed correctly?" she asked.

"Mary McDonald for starters," Mulciber answered and they began walking again. "A Gryffindor in third year. Lily Evans, as well. The two are often together."

"There's also the blood traitor, James Potter," Avery added.

"If you go after Potter, are you going to go after his friends?" Regulus asked.

"If we have to," Mulciber smirked, staring at Adeline and Reggie. "Is that going to be an issue?"

"It is," Adeline spoke up, venom in her voice. "Touch one of the Blacks or Lupin and you'll be facing my wand."

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Avery asked, facing the young girl.

"Oh, it should," Adeline smirked. "Do try to remember that I was trained under the Blacks since I was a child. I know curses that you couldn't even dream of. The Shafiq family is rather proficient in a few spells of their own as well considering we invented the Fiendfyre spell decades ago. It's the first spell I was taught when I received my wand. Family tradition."

Mulciber and Avery both took a step back, nodding their understanding to Adeline. Regulus smirked before taking Adeline's hand.

"Excuse us, gentlemen. It's Adeline's birthday and we must be going," he bowed his head slightly.

Adeline followed his lead, bowing slightly before he pulled her away. Barty and Evan stayed behind to discuss the potion with the other two. Adeline let out a harsh breath as they entered the Great Hall, mask firmly in place. Sirius was laughing at the Gryffindor table when he noticed the two, seeing the way they had their heads held high and shoulders back, Slytherin scowls in place. His smile fell and he debated going to them when he saw Barty and Evan enter the Great Hall with Avery and Mulciber, understanding dawning his face as he realized that unkind words may have been exchanged.

"How do you and Adeline communicate?" Sirius asked Remus.

"We have journals that we write to one another in. Why?"

"Write her and make sure she's alright?" Sirius asked. "It seems she had a run-in with Avery and Mulciber this morning. Not exactly the way I would want to start my birthday."

Remus nodded and pulled the journal from his bag, writing in it quickly and seeing Adeline pull her own journal out. She wrote back saying she would tell him later before putting the journal away and starting to eat breakfast. The owls began flying in and Adeline smirked as she began opening her gifts.

Remus had given her a wolf charm for her bracelet, which she held in a laugh over before adding it to the bracelet that she rarely took off. She received multiple books from Tom, Walburga and Orion, Evan, and Barty. Regulus had gotten her more potions ingredients and Adeline leaned into him slightly in thanks. She had two presents from Sirius sitting in front of her, but one was packaged strangely. She opened that one first, curious. A puff of smoke exploded around herself and Regulus, swallowing them in swirls of pink, purple, and red.

A hand pushed Adeline away from the box and she fell backwards, catching herself before she could get hurt. She stood slowly before coughing as the smoke began to dissipate and looked to Regulus to check him over, making sure no damage had come to him. He coughed a few times and suddenly a butterfly flew out of his mouth.

"I'm going to kill him," Adeline growled before being taken over by a coughing fit as a butterfly flew out of her own mouth as well.

The coughing only got worse and people began to stare in horror as Regulus and Adeline lost the ability to breath properly, the coughing and butterflies coming out harshly. Regulus tried to reach for Adeline but fell over as professors ran forward. Adeline tried to finite the spell but couldn't get the words out through her coughing, Severus catching her before she could fall.

When she woke, she was in the hospital wing and there was much yelling happening around her.

"What were you thinking?!" Sirius' voice was angry and demanding.

Adeline opened her eyes to find James being the center of his ire.

"It was just going to be a prank. I didn't know it would cause them to pass out," James said, his voice small.

"They didn't pass out! Their airways were clogged by butterflies! They could have died, James!"

"Boys!" Madam Pomfrey yelled.

Sirius took a step back from James, his breathing heavy as he turned to check on his brother and betrothed. He saw Adeline's eyes were open and rushed to her side.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as Pomfrey came to her other side.

"Remind me to hex him later," Adeline pointed at James.

"Miss Shafiq!" Pomfrey admonished.

"Absolutely," Sirius nodded.

"You should be in class, Mister Black," Pomfrey reminded him.

"Remus is taking notes for me," Sirius shrugged before sitting in the chair between Adeline's and Regulus' beds.

"Reggie?" Adeline asked, seeing the boys laying on the bed and looking rather pale.

"He got it worse than you," Sirius explained. "We aren't sure how."

"He pushed me away from the box when it went off," Adeline explained.

Sirius just nodded before looking towards his brother.

"Adeline?" James caught her attention. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Did you not test it first?" she asked.

"I had only finished it last night," he shrugged. "I thought it would be funny on your birthday to cough up butterflies all day. Turns out the butterflies all tried coming up at once instead."

"Leave, Mister Potter," Pomfrey demanded.

James nodded before shooting Adeline another apologetic look and walking away. Adeline sighed and turned to Sirius.

"I didn't get to open the gift from you yet," Adeline pouted.

Sirius smirked before pulling the box out of his pocket and passing it over to her. Adeline smiled and ripped the box open, smiling down at the silver quill with jewels.

"It's beautiful," she smiled to him. "Thank you."

"Mother told me not to get you anymore jewelry until our engagement," Sirius explained. "Otherwise, you would have earrings to go with your ring and necklace."

"Well, now I'm disappointed," Adeline joked.

"I'll get the earrings for you with the engagement ring," he promised. "Speaking of, we're supposed to go through the family vault at some point so you can choose which one you want."

"Joy," Adeline sighed, rolling her eyes before looking to Pomfrey. "Will I live?"

"Yes," Pomfrey smiled. "I want to keep you for the rest of the day to make sure you don't have more butterflies in your stomach though."

"I'm sure there's a joke in that sentence somewhere but I'm too tired to find it," Adeline smirked.

"I'm not," Sirius smirked. "James Potter gives you butterflies in your stomach? I'm telling everyone."

"He did to your baby brother as well," Adeline pointed out.

"Worse as well," Sirius nodded. "Should I give James the big brother talk? Threaten him a bit?"

"I think it's only fair," Adeline nodded before smiling.

Sirius smiled back and Pomfrey cleared her throat.

"Miss Shafiq needs rest, Mister Black," she reminded him.

Sirius smiled before nodding to the matron and staying silent. Pomfrey checked over Regulus before leaving to check on her other patients. Adeline closed her eyes and smiled when she felt Sirius take her hand. She gave a gentle squeeze before her eyes opened again.

"Sirius, there's a potion in Moaning Mrytle's bathroom. It's hidden in the corner. I need you to go work on it. I was going to do it during lunch but I'm stuck here all day."

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Find Remus and take him with you. He'll know what to do," she told him. "Go."

Sirius nodded and stood. He kissed her head before rushing from the hospital wing to find Remus. Adeline sighed before resting again. She looked over to Regulus, finding him still asleep. She closed her eyes, deciding to get a nap in. When she woke again, Remus and Sirius were studying in the chairs between the beds. She smiled at the sight and cleared her throat. Both boys turned to her and smiled widely.

"The potion?" she asked them.

"It's fine," Remus promised. "We took care of it."

"Why didn't you tell me you've been brewing potions for Remus to help with his health?"

Adeline gave a confused look before looking to Regulus' bed and noticing him awake.

"Hey, Reggie," Adeline smiled to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," he admitted. "I have to stay overnight."

"Want me to fake cough and get stuck with you?" she offered.

"No," he smiled to her. "I'll be alright."

The doors to the hospital wing slammed open and Adeline turned in shock as multiple students were brought in by floating stretchers. Adeline turned to Reggie with wide eyes. He stared back, shocked that the two older Slytherins had moved so quickly before realizing that Barty and Evan had probably been involved. Remus and Sirius ran over to the muggleborns, wanting to know what was happening.

Adeline sat up and wavered her wand, changing her robes back to her school clothes. She gave Reggie a nod and snuck out of the hospital wing while everyone was panicking. She ran to the bathroom where she kept her extra potions equipment, dumping out the experiment potion so that she could brew the antidote. She spent the entire night brewing, staying awake all night to get it done. She bottled multiple vials of the potion before rushing back to the hospital wing.

She ran in and found Madam Pomfrey running more diagnostic spells, shaking her head as the potion was undetectable.

"Madam!" Adeline yelled, waking Regulus and Sirius from where they slept. "Try this."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Cure for Draught of Living Death," Adeline explained. "I overheard something yesterday but then I ended up in here myself."

"What did you hear?" Dumbledore's voice caused Adeline to jump in fright as Slughorn moved forward, taking the potions from her hands and test them.

He gave a nod to the matron and the two began working.

"There were Slytherins speaking behind the bookcase in the common room," she lied. "I couldn't see who it was. I didn't think they would do it yesterday and planned on reporting it as soon as breakfast was over. The way they spoke made it seem like they weren't going to do it yet. I'm sorry, Headmaster."

"Where did you go earlier?" Pomfrey questioned.

"To brew that," Adeline pointed to the vial in her hand. "I knew the sooner I got it done, the better. I've made it before."

"When did you make it?" Slughorn asked.

"I've had tutors my entire life," Adeline raised a brow as if the answer was obvious.

Slughorn nodded as the muggleborns began waking. Adeline backed away so that the adults could check over the students. She joined Sirius beside Regulus, holding in a yawn as she sat.

"Were you up all night brewing?' Sirius asked her.

"Yes," she nodded. "Sorry for waking the two of you."

"Why did you make the antidote?" Regulus asked curiously.

"Because Lily is my friend," Adeline stated. "She's Remus' friend as well."

"So it was for Lily?" Regulus asked.

"Of course," Adeline nodded.

"So why not just make enough for her?"

"How suspicious that would have been," Adeline rolled her eyes at him. "Why does it matter?"

"Mother won't be pleased," Regulus pointed out.

"Mother doesn't need to know," Sirius stated as Dumbledore joined their group.

"Miss Shafiq, I would like to thank you for your services to the school," he said.

"Please, don't," Adeline told him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because my mother won't be pleased," Regulus repeated.

"He's right," Sirius said. "No one can know it was Adeline."

Dumbledore gave them each a thoughtful look before nodding and walking away. Adeline sank in her chair a bit, exhausted.

"Into a bed," Pomfrey told her. "You need rest."

"Yes, madam," Adeline nodded before kicking off her shoes and climbing into the bed she had abandoned earlier.

Sirius pulled the blankets over her and kissed her head.

"Sleep now," he told her. "I'll stay right here."

Adeline gave him a nod before closing her eyes. She fell asleep quickly, unable to stay awake any longer.

"Why would she do that?" Regulus asked his brother.

"Because she's a good person," Sirius told him. "Adeline doesn't like it when people are hurt. She's taken care of me plenty of times. She might become a healer one day, honestly."

"What do you mean she's taken care of you? When have you been hurt?" Regulus questioned.

"Just a few accidents," Sirius waved him off. "Go to sleep, Reggie. I'll watch over you as well."

Reggie fell asleep as well.

"I'll always watch over the two of you," Sirius whispered to their sleeping forms.