Chapter Text
October 16, 1993
October 16th was Cedric’s Birthday. He was officially 16. Ada had told him it was his golden birthday, and she fully expected him to celebrate like he had won the cup. Knowing his friends, he would be. The Diggory boy was very easily the most popular in his year. While he loved his friends and was grateful for the admiration, it was quite exhausting at times.
Ever since third year, he had girls asking him out on Hogsmeade dates; he always declined. His friends seemed to worship the ground he walked on, something he detested. All the other houses respected him, even Slytherin. Percy Weasley told the boy in one of the prefect meetings that he was on the track to being head boy.
Cedric always felt like he had to prove something. When he was sorted into Hufflepuff, he made a promise to himself that he would prove that badgers were more than kind. He was top of his class, having O’s in nearly every subject. Even Snape didn’t totally hate the boy. Before Hogwarts, he always tried to make Adaline proud. His aunt would teach him small tricks and methods she used to problem-solve, and small training sessions to work on his stealthiness. Constant Vigilance: she would mimic her mentor.
But most of all, Cedric wanted to prove himself to his dad. Not that Amos didn’t believe in his boy. But he wanted to prove to him that he was alright, that he was accomplished. Cedric would eavesdrop on conversations between his father and his aunt; the older confiding in his sister that he felt like a terrible father, like he was failing Cedric. He would cry, saying that he needed his mother more than him.
Cedric didn’t really remember his mother. He was only two when she died. Sometimes, he thinks he remembers her voice. But he couldn’t recall anything distinct. All he had was what his family would tell him, pictures Adaline kept, books she loved. Diana never lived in the cottage, but sometimes he felt her presence. It never really troubled the Diggory boy that he didn’t have his mother. Of course he missed her; he would always long for the chance to know her. But he had Adaline. Adaline loved him as if he were her own. She filled that space, teaching him, loving him. She made him feel like he wasn’t missing things in his life. That was enough for him. He just wanted his father to see that.
Sitting at the Black Lake in the early morning, Cedric stared at the water. He found peace here, no girls to ogle at him, no boys to bask in his glory. No, it was just peace. The rising sun casting its rays over the water was mesmerising, the morning dew making his robes slightly wet. But he didn’t mind.
Sniffing was heard behind him; Cedric turned around. There, just a way away, was a big black dog, sniffing in his school bag. Cedric tilted his head; he had never seen a dog at Hogwarts before. It looked oddly familiar, like the dog Cedric faintly remembered from his childhood. But Adaline was very adamant that they never had a pet dog.
“Hello there.” He said softly, turning onto his knees to face the canine.
The dog startled, a yelp leaving its snout. He braced, ready to run away like it had done this dance before. Cedric held out his hand for the dog to sniff. Being the son of a man who was obsessed with magical creatures had its benefits.
“It’s alright, I’m not gonna hurt you,” he said.
The dog came over, sniffed very tentatively, but as soon as its nose touched Cedric's, it launched towards the boy. Barking and attacked him with licks. Cedric fell over from the unexpected enthusiasm of the dog. He laughed, enjoying the feeling.
“Alright, alright- it's nice to meet you too- yes, yes. Ok, that's enough!” He pushed the dog off him enough to sit up straight. The dog sat down as well, tail wagging from side to side, mouth open, tongue hanging loose.
Cedric smiled at the dog. “ You're very friendly.” The dog barked in agreement.
The pair sat at the lake for a while, the young boy stretching his legs out while the shaggy dog laid its head in his lap. Cedric’s hand was petting his new companion. Feeling like he had made a new friend.
“ I ought to give you a name…” The dog's ears perked up.
“ How about…Snuffles…” If Cedric didn’t know any better, he would’ve sworn the dog snorted.
“Ok- apparently not…” he thought about it. Hmmmm, A big black dog. His face lit up. He knew exactly what to name him.
“ Padfoot. Like the dog in Auntie's stories.”
Padfoot picked up his head, tilted it like he was asking a question. This had to be the most animated dog Cedric had seen.
“It's kinda stupid, really. My Aunt Adaline used to tell me these bedtime stories, about this group of animals she called The Marauders; they would run around Hogwarts causing all sorts of mischief.” He reminisced; he really did love those stories.
Padfoot let out a long whine. Cedric gave him a curious look; he was rather skinny for a dog. “You hungry? I’ve got some sweets in my bag- reckon that's what you were sniffing”
Cedric reached for his bag, taking out the licorice wands from Ada. He gave the dog a few, barking in thanks. It probably wasn’t the best for the animal, but it was all he had. Cedric took a mental note to bring out some more food for the dog. If he was still here. For some reason, Cedric found himself rambling to the dog.
“I come here a lot. It's one of the few places I can just call my own. I’m kinda a big deal at school, for whatever reason. And I’m grateful-truly- but sometimes it's just nice to be normal. Just plain Cedric Diggory. Not some Golden boy.”
The dog nuzzled closer. “It's not so bad though, not this year. This year my aunt Ada is here, looking out for this Sirius Black guy-”
Padfoot stilled. “It's alright, I don’t think he goes around hurting four-legged creatures.”
Cedric returned his gaze out to the water. “ I know Ada hides stuff from her past. It's never really bothered me before. But ever since this Black guy broke out of Azkaban, she’s been on edge. I think she knew him or something like that. I just don’t understand why she’s trying to hide it.”
The Hufflepuff glanced down at his watch. 9:00. Shit- he had DADA in 30 minutes. Time to face the day.
“ I've got to run, Padfoot, but I’ll be back- and I’ll bring actual food next time. How does that sound?”
Padfoot barked, making his way back to the forest. Cedric headed towards the castle; it was time to be Golden Boy Diggory.
The next day, Cedric was having tea with Adaline and Remus. Cedric had met Remus a few times in the past. Mainly when Adaline and Amos invited him over for a nice dinner now and then. He was sorta like a distant uncle, only seen once or twice a year. He knew the Professor was a Werewolf, and he didn’t think any less of him. The boy was raised being taught that they were no less human than anyone. Besides, he was the best DADA teacher he had ever had, and was extremely grateful to have him the year he had to take the OWLS.
Cedric kept thinking back to Padfoot; the dog felt so familiar. He knew some of his earliest memories had Adaline and a black dog running around the drawing room. But Adaline always swore they never had a pet dog.
“ Ceddie, are you alright? You seem a bit distracted,” Adaline called, pausing her conversation with Remus.
He looked up at the two adults. “Uh, yeah- yeah, I’m fine”
“ You sure, lad? You look like you're thinking about something,” the older man added.
He nodded. “ Did I tell you that I had my meeting with Sprout the other day? About N.E.W.T level classes.”
Both adults shook their heads and gave him their full attention.
“ Well? How’d that go? What classes?” Remus asked
“ Very well, assuming O.W.Ls go well, I’ll take DADA, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and I think Care of Magical Creatures.” He explained. Hoping they would understand what he was implying.
They both gave him an impressed look; Adaline’s eyes widened after a moment.
“That's what they have you take when-”
“When you want to be an Auror.” He finished for his aunt.
Adaline gave him a warm smile, as did Remus. She knew she was a huge influence on her nephew, but enough for him to decide that as his career? That was a true honor.
“Well, as one of my top students, I have no doubt you’ll be a fantastic Auror. Probably even better than Adaline.” The woman in question threw a piece of chocolate at her friend. The man caught it effortlessly, popping it in his mouth.
“I’m happy for you, Ceddie,” Adaline said fondly.
Conversation dulled a bit until Cedric mentioned Black was spotted not too far from Hogsmeade. He noticed the two friends stiffening. Adaline clutched her necklace; Remus clenched his teacup. He had been meaning to ask Adaline if Sirius was one of the wizards she had caught over her many years in the field.
“Were you the one to catch him? Black?” he asked his aunt.
Adaline shook her head.
“ I never even crossed paths with him.” She said,
Cedric stayed silent. He didn’t believe her. Adaline was going to be her own undoing; she trained him too well. He knew she was lying. He just couldn’t figure out why. Remus had stayed utterly silent, not even daring to move a finger. Instead, the Hufflepuff just nodded, not wanting to push them even further.
“ I should go. Quidditch Practice.”
The adults nodded, feeling like the conversation had ended. They watched the boy retreat, guilt filling their chest. The moment Cedric walked out of the room, Adaline slumped into her chair. Remus let out a sigh of relief.
“He’s on to me.”
Remus snorted. “You’re the one who raised him to be just like you”
“Yeah, and now I regret it. He’s too good,” she huffed.
Remus rolled his eyes at her antics.
“ I hate lying to him,” she spoke.
“Why do you ?” he asked.
Adaline turned to him. Did he really not get it? Why do they lie to Harry? What good comes from them knowing the painful past?
“Because, Moony. He doesn’t need to know that his uncle is currently the most wanted man in the world. He doesn’t need to know that he lost someone else in his family”
The werewolf said nothing to that. Instead, he took a sip of his tea.
“Moony?”
“Yes, Batsy?”
“Do you really think they are going to find him?” she asked vulnerably.
Remus looked at his dear friend. After the conversation at his flat, he understood her withdrawal from the events of it. Adaline truly believed that Sirius wasn’t a murderer. But he could also tell she was terrified of being wrong. The small shred of hope she held so close to her heart. It all made sense. Her theory, but there was one problem. Peter was dead. Even if Sirius didn’t sell out James and Lily, Peter was still dead.
It was that conversation that had him question everything. For 12 years, he learned to live with what had happened; he accepted that Sirius wasn’t who they thought he was. That fear had won him over. Even if it didn’t make sense, it was an answer. It was the only closure he was going to get, so he had no choice but to accept it. But Adaline hadn’t, and that made him falter. He thought about telling Dumbledore about Sirius being an Animagus, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk Adaline like that. He couldn’t take away the only hope she had. So he stayed silent.
“ I think they are really trying to. But Black is smart. He won’t go down without a fight,” he said, noticing the way she flinched when he used the last name.
Adaline was racking her brain again. She needed to figure out how she was going to get to Peter. She needed to find Sirius; she knew he was nearby. He had to be. She just wasn’t sure where. She had searched the forest; nothing but dementors. She walked the grounds daily; there was no trace of him. She was going slightly mad.
“ I just… I need to find him,” she said, not really sure which ‘him’ she was talking about.
December 1972
In the months to follow, nothing much changed for the Marauders. Adaline, Sirius, and James were constantly getting caught by professors during pranks and thus served many detentions. Remus was surprisingly excited to hear about the new secret passage that led to Honeydukes; now the whole group goes on little escapades under James' invisibility cloak.
Towards the end of November, chatter started changing to topics of Christmas plans and the upcoming holiday. Much to Sirius' dismay.
" I'm quite excited to go home for Christmas. Mosey has a girlfriend... Diana, I think her name was. She seems pretty sweet, and by the way, Amos looks at her; he is undoubtedly in love." Adaline spoke.
The Marauders were sitting in the common room, Ada’s head in Sirius' lap while her legs lay across Remus's as he read. This happened quite often; the girl would get so excited about something she simply could not stop talking. The boys never got annoyed with her for it; they were glad to listen if they saw how happy it made her.
" That's great, Adaline. I'm sure your brother is going to be very happy with her." Remus said, being polite.
James decided to strike up the conversation so it wasn't as one-sided. “So we know what little Ada is doing over the Holidays; what about you lot? Got any plans?"
Remus and Peter perked up at the thought of going home for the holidays; however, Sirius seemed to darken at the thought.
There are always unspoken words and facts in our world. People call it common knowledge or sense; it needs no introduction to be known. The case is no different when it comes to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. This family, like many others in the sacred 28, was pure-blood supremacists, wizards who believed Muggle and Muggle-borns were unworthy of magic; it also happens that these wizards had a worrisome fascination with the dark arts.
Sirius never agreed with these ideas, and he wasn't afraid to have his parents know this. The thought of marrying one's cousin to keep their blood 'clean' made the blood more tainted. The boy wanted nothing to do with the traditions, and as a result, his parent wanted nothing to do with him. Love in the Black Household was foreign to both Sirius and Regulus, despite the younger's attempts to please and excel. From the moment that hat yelled Gryffindor on Sirius' head, he was a failure in his name, and his parents would make sure he knew it over the holiday.
" Sirius?" Remus questioned for the third time.
It became apparent to the Black boy that while reminiscing about his family, he noticed the concerned glances of his friends. Especially the worried gaze of Adaline, who now sat straight up.
"You alright, mate? sorta just dozed off for a while?" James said, addressing his best friend.
Again, it was Common knowledge for any wizard to know the Black expectations, and Sirius did not meet them. Shaking off the fear, Sirius spotted the signature Black smirk.
" Perfectly fine, James, just thinking about all the absolutely wonderful things Mother will say once she sees me, I reckon something along the lines of 'How dare you be Gryffindor!!'" he said, doing a horrible impression of his mother, effectively earning a gaggle of laughs from his friends. Adaline’s laugh did not reach her eyes. She saw the way he shut down; she hated it.
The moment was soon forgotten as the friends went about the next couple of days without error. Sleep, Eat, Prank, Repeat.
Diggory Cottage was a sight to see at Christmas time. It was the only time a year the siblings could guarantee that they would see their parents, so it was always a big celebration. Adaline had finally met Diana and was pleased to find out she was even lovelier in person. The two girls got along playing games, talking Bout their favorite books, and doing makeovers. Ada was convinced that her brother's girlfriend was her long-lost sister.
" You know, A, I didn't think I would lose my girlfriend to you when I brought her over," Amos said as he leaned on the door outside her room.
Athena and Diana had thought it would be fun to build a pillow fort to read in; currently, the two girls were somewhere hidden in it, leaving Amos all by his lonesome.
"Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you brought home the most amazing human being I have met," the young girl responded childishly as she and Diana proceeded to crawl out of the fort.
Amos offered Diana his hand and lifted her to her feet.
"That I did, didn't I?" he said, pulling the girl in for a long but sweet kiss.
" awwwwwwwwww!!!!" Adaline squealed and quickly took a picture of the two.
"Adaline!" Amos shouted and started to chase his sister throughout the cottage.
Diana smiled at the siblings and looked at the now-formed photo. " At least it's a cute photo, Amos!" she laughed at Amos, who now had Adaline thrown over his shoulder in a fit of giggles.
"B-bugger off, Mos!" the auburn-haired girl pleaded to her older brother.
Diana just stared at the photo for a while, admiring its beauty. How could something so simple hold something so beautiful?
It was that very phenomenon that drew Adaline to photography.' A picture paints a thousand words, ' they say, but for Adaline, they held a thousand memories. Sometimes all it takes is a photo to unlock thousands of stories kept behind them, stories that would make conversations at family dinners, bedtime stories to sleepy children, stories that would keep people alive for as long as they're told. She hoped that one day the photo she took of the couple would be shown to their kids. Call her naive and optimistic, but the girl with shimmering eyes could see that those two were more than perfect for each other.
The kind Gryffindor had one last Christmas gift to give. She had given most of the Marauders their presents via owl, but she couldn't find the gift for Sirius. The boy was a bit of an enigma to her. Sure, she knew his favorite anything, but despite being his best friend, nothing felt right to give him. Until she saw the photo.
The photo was one she had taken a little later in the term, just after they discovered the Honeydukes cellar. It showed all the Marauders hiding down in the cellar, each with some sweets stashed away in the most noticeable places. Sirius was in the middle, his arms over James and Adaline; Peter was slightly in front of everyone, holding the camera, while Remus was behind. She remembered how he said that was one of his favorite photos of the Marauders, so she copied it along with a note.
Dear Siri,
I know you're not having a great Christmas at the moment, but I hope it's okay. As expected, Diana is a total gem, and I feel like she's the sister I never had! She is perfect for Mosey, and I just know they are going to get married.
I've written to James a bit; he keeps going on and on about Lily Evans. I think the poor bloke is in love or something. Has he written to you any?
Your gift- well, it's not much, but I wasn't sure what I could get away with. You're a hard person to shop for, you know that? But earlier today I came across a photo I had taken, and as expected, my head was filled with dozens of adventures. So I thought I'd share them with you. Merry Christmas, Sirius.
sincerely
A. Diggory
That Night at Number 12 Grimmauld Place lay a boy in his bed, A boy with black curls and smoky grey eyes. But he wore a doggish smile as he stared at a photograph of him and his friends, escaping his nightmare of a house. Instead, he replayed a thousand stories of laughter and happiness.