The Half-Blood Princess
Six.
Adelia Snape was very glad to be back at Hogwarts. And for the first few months, she had never been happier. She was close with Reg and a few others in her House. Her brother was always around with Lily.
Sirius was still around but it seemed that he was taunting less. He was just around a lot. Often, she’d feel like someone was watching her; she’d look up in the Great Hall or in the library and she’d met his eyes. His stare pulled her in every time. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Sirius Black was her brother’s enemy. Sirius Black hated her by association. Adelia didn’t know why she was bothering.
She was happy. And then the letter came.
It had seemed like just another winter evening. She was at dinner with Regulus on her right and Sev across from her. An owl landed in front of Sev. He opened it and Adelia watched as his face changed as he read.
“Sev?” she asked quietly over the din of the Hall.
But he didn’t say anything. He merely handed the letter and watched her read it with guarded eyes.
Confused, she turned her eyes down to the sloppy writing. She recognized it instantly as her father’s. As she read on, her chest grew tighter until she found it hard to breathe in the crowded room.
Standing up forcefully from the bench, she ran out of the hall.
She pushed through the entrance doors and ran across the grounds until she stopped underneath a giant tree.
It was freezing outside but she didn’t care. It was snowing but she didn’t care.
Adelia clenched the letter tightly in her hands as her sobs racked through her body.
“Adelia.”
She shut her eyes tightly as she heard his voice. She couldn’t deal with him right now. “Please go away.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked anyway as he kneeled down in the snow next to her.
“Please go—”
“No.” he responded resolutely.
“Why?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked again, ignoring her question.
Wordlessly, she surrendered the letter to him. With furrowed eyebrows, he turned his gaze to the letter.
“I’m sorry.” he said as he finished reading.
“I am too.” she cried. “We never really got along… and now she’s…” her teeth were chattering as she tried to find the words to say. Sirius realized she must’ve been freezing.
“Come on.”
She allowed him to pull her to her feet.
“Where?”
“Its cold.” he replied.
“I—”
“Love the cold, I know.” He continued to lead her along. He pulled her through the corridors of Hogwarts. They stopped in front of a portrait of fruit.
“I’m not really in the mood to look at fruit, Sirius.” she sniffled.
He didn’t respond as he reached up to tickle the pear.
The portrait swung to the side to reveal a large kitchen full of scurrying house-elves.
“Sirius?” she questioned with the letter clenched tightly in her hand.
But he only took her hand and pulled her into the kitchen.
“Mr. Sirius!” A rather wide-eyed house elf exclaimed. “Sit! Sit!”
Instantly, two stools appeared for them.
“What can Twinky get for Mr. Sirius?”
“Two cups of hot chocolate, extra marshmallows…” After an appraising glance at Adelia, he added “and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.”
Almost instantly, the food appeared.
“Drink.” he said pushing a steaming cup toward her.
He watched tentatively while she sipped.
Sirius smiled slightly as he saw the corners of her lips turn upward.
“Tell me about her.” he said after a moment while he handed her a warm cookie.
“We weren’t close…” Adelia began as she ran a finger along the edge of her cup, “she was always too busy fighting with my dad. I figured that maybe when I got older and moved out…we would get along better. But now…” she exhaled, “now I guess that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m sorry.” he said again.
“I thought I would have more time because…well people don’t just die. She was healthy…I mean…”
“I know.” he said as his hand betrayed him and reach out to gently caress the back of her hand. “I know.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” she said, looking at him through her dark lashes.
He wanted to know more about her mother. He wanted her to want to tell him. But he agreed.
|||||
They had finished their drinks and the last cookie crumb had been consumed.
“Well,” Sirius began awkwardly as they stopped at the place they would part. She to the dungeons and he to the tower.
“Thank you for showing me the kitchens.” she said quietly.
“No problem.” he replied quickly, wanting to say something.
“Well…goodbye.” she said.
“Bye...”
She turned to walk away.
“Wait!”
“Yes?” She said, a tiny glimmer of hope shining in eyes.
“I’m sorry about your mum.”
“Thanks.”
Then she turned and walked away again—her footfalls echoing in the hall.
Watching her go, he muttered to himself, “Sodding idiot.” He took off after her suddenly.
“Adelia.”
Then he pulled her to his chest and kissed her.
|||||
She arrived at her common room on Cloud Nine.
“Where have you been?” Sev asked as soon as she entered.
“Walking around.” she said quietly as she was intercepted by Reg.
He didn’t say anything. He only wrapped his arms around her.
She returned the hug, feeling horrible for being so happy even though her mother just died.
|||||
The next day, she passed Sirius in the hallway and he didn’t say a thing.
She had been a fool, she was sure. It was just a kiss. It hadn’t meant anything.
And then she was pulled into a classroom and a familiar pair of lips met hers.
“Hey.” he said as he pulled away.
“Hey.” she smiled back. “I thought—”
“You thought what?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”
“No, tell me.”
“I thought you were playing me.”
He sighed, “I just don’t think we should tell anyone, you know? With your brother and my brother and…”
|||||
“I’ll be right back.” she said as she left Reg and Sev. “Going to go change out of my robes.”
Walking down the corridor to the bathroom, she was pulled suddenly into a compartment.
“Hey,” the beautiful boy said as he pushed his lips against hers and intertwined their fingers.
“Hi.” she replied when she pulled away from him.
She smiled as he twirled a strand of her hair in between his fingers.
“Not sure how I’m going to like not seeing you every day.” he whispered in her ear.
She grinned, “You’ll see me in a few weeks when I come for dinner.”
He groaned. “You should stop subjecting yourself to them.”
“You should stop defending me.” she said suddenly.
“What?”
“To them. To your mum. It only hurts you in the—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I saw what she did last year.”
“I know you saw. But I see too, okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw how you wince and I saw the bruises when you came back from winter holiday.”
“That doesn’t—”
“I can’t sit there and let my mother attack you while Regulus does nothing.”
“Stop patronizing them. You’ll only get hurt in the end.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
“I’m not worth it, trust me.” she whispered as she turned to go.
“Adelia,” her name flowed off of his lips like a melody.
Stopping just before she left, she turned and ran back to him. She pressed her lips against his and tangled her fingers in his hair before pulling away and leaving him in the compartment.
Sirius was still around but it seemed that he was taunting less. He was just around a lot. Often, she’d feel like someone was watching her; she’d look up in the Great Hall or in the library and she’d met his eyes. His stare pulled her in every time. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Sirius Black was her brother’s enemy. Sirius Black hated her by association. Adelia didn’t know why she was bothering.
She was happy. And then the letter came.
It had seemed like just another winter evening. She was at dinner with Regulus on her right and Sev across from her. An owl landed in front of Sev. He opened it and Adelia watched as his face changed as he read.
“Sev?” she asked quietly over the din of the Hall.
But he didn’t say anything. He merely handed the letter and watched her read it with guarded eyes.
Confused, she turned her eyes down to the sloppy writing. She recognized it instantly as her father’s. As she read on, her chest grew tighter until she found it hard to breathe in the crowded room.
Standing up forcefully from the bench, she ran out of the hall.
She pushed through the entrance doors and ran across the grounds until she stopped underneath a giant tree.
It was freezing outside but she didn’t care. It was snowing but she didn’t care.
Adelia clenched the letter tightly in her hands as her sobs racked through her body.
“Adelia.”
She shut her eyes tightly as she heard his voice. She couldn’t deal with him right now. “Please go away.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked anyway as he kneeled down in the snow next to her.
“Please go—”
“No.” he responded resolutely.
“Why?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked again, ignoring her question.
Wordlessly, she surrendered the letter to him. With furrowed eyebrows, he turned his gaze to the letter.
“I’m sorry.” he said as he finished reading.
“I am too.” she cried. “We never really got along… and now she’s…” her teeth were chattering as she tried to find the words to say. Sirius realized she must’ve been freezing.
“Come on.”
She allowed him to pull her to her feet.
“Where?”
“Its cold.” he replied.
“I—”
“Love the cold, I know.” He continued to lead her along. He pulled her through the corridors of Hogwarts. They stopped in front of a portrait of fruit.
“I’m not really in the mood to look at fruit, Sirius.” she sniffled.
He didn’t respond as he reached up to tickle the pear.
The portrait swung to the side to reveal a large kitchen full of scurrying house-elves.
“Sirius?” she questioned with the letter clenched tightly in her hand.
But he only took her hand and pulled her into the kitchen.
“Mr. Sirius!” A rather wide-eyed house elf exclaimed. “Sit! Sit!”
Instantly, two stools appeared for them.
“What can Twinky get for Mr. Sirius?”
“Two cups of hot chocolate, extra marshmallows…” After an appraising glance at Adelia, he added “and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.”
Almost instantly, the food appeared.
“Drink.” he said pushing a steaming cup toward her.
He watched tentatively while she sipped.
Sirius smiled slightly as he saw the corners of her lips turn upward.
“Tell me about her.” he said after a moment while he handed her a warm cookie.
“We weren’t close…” Adelia began as she ran a finger along the edge of her cup, “she was always too busy fighting with my dad. I figured that maybe when I got older and moved out…we would get along better. But now…” she exhaled, “now I guess that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m sorry.” he said again.
“I thought I would have more time because…well people don’t just die. She was healthy…I mean…”
“I know.” he said as his hand betrayed him and reach out to gently caress the back of her hand. “I know.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” she said, looking at him through her dark lashes.
He wanted to know more about her mother. He wanted her to want to tell him. But he agreed.
|||||
They had finished their drinks and the last cookie crumb had been consumed.
“Well,” Sirius began awkwardly as they stopped at the place they would part. She to the dungeons and he to the tower.
“Thank you for showing me the kitchens.” she said quietly.
“No problem.” he replied quickly, wanting to say something.
“Well…goodbye.” she said.
“Bye...”
She turned to walk away.
“Wait!”
“Yes?” She said, a tiny glimmer of hope shining in eyes.
“I’m sorry about your mum.”
“Thanks.”
Then she turned and walked away again—her footfalls echoing in the hall.
Watching her go, he muttered to himself, “Sodding idiot.” He took off after her suddenly.
“Adelia.”
Then he pulled her to his chest and kissed her.
|||||
She arrived at her common room on Cloud Nine.
“Where have you been?” Sev asked as soon as she entered.
“Walking around.” she said quietly as she was intercepted by Reg.
He didn’t say anything. He only wrapped his arms around her.
She returned the hug, feeling horrible for being so happy even though her mother just died.
|||||
The next day, she passed Sirius in the hallway and he didn’t say a thing.
She had been a fool, she was sure. It was just a kiss. It hadn’t meant anything.
And then she was pulled into a classroom and a familiar pair of lips met hers.
“Hey.” he said as he pulled away.
“Hey.” she smiled back. “I thought—”
“You thought what?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”
“No, tell me.”
“I thought you were playing me.”
He sighed, “I just don’t think we should tell anyone, you know? With your brother and my brother and…”
|||||
“I’ll be right back.” she said as she left Reg and Sev. “Going to go change out of my robes.”
Walking down the corridor to the bathroom, she was pulled suddenly into a compartment.
“Hey,” the beautiful boy said as he pushed his lips against hers and intertwined their fingers.
“Hi.” she replied when she pulled away from him.
She smiled as he twirled a strand of her hair in between his fingers.
“Not sure how I’m going to like not seeing you every day.” he whispered in her ear.
She grinned, “You’ll see me in a few weeks when I come for dinner.”
He groaned. “You should stop subjecting yourself to them.”
“You should stop defending me.” she said suddenly.
“What?”
“To them. To your mum. It only hurts you in the—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I saw what she did last year.”
“I know you saw. But I see too, okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw how you wince and I saw the bruises when you came back from winter holiday.”
“That doesn’t—”
“I can’t sit there and let my mother attack you while Regulus does nothing.”
“Stop patronizing them. You’ll only get hurt in the end.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
“I’m not worth it, trust me.” she whispered as she turned to go.
“Adelia,” her name flowed off of his lips like a melody.
Stopping just before she left, she turned and ran back to him. She pressed her lips against his and tangled her fingers in his hair before pulling away and leaving him in the compartment.