Chapter Text
I sat on the top of the Astronomy Tower, trying to forget what he’d said. But his words spun through my head, frightening me even more the longer I thought about them.
“You’re a pureblood,” Regulus sneered. “The Dark Lord’s been searching for purebloods to help him achieve his goals. And yet, here you are, dirtying your blood by spending time with mudbloods and sympathisers, a blood traitor like my cunt older brother.”
“Don’t talk about Sirius that way,” I hissed, turning to walk away. Nothing good ever came from talking to the younger Black, I knew.
But he caught my arm, his thin fingers digging painfully into my skin. “You will be judged, too, Adalia. And when you are, I will make sure to ask the Dark Lord’s permission to torture you myself. I’ll make you go mad from the pain, and as the light goes out of your eyes, I’ll enjoy every second of it— not only to finally be rid of your pompous attitude, but to teach both of our brothers a very valuable lesson.”
Eyes wide, I stepped backward, trying to pull myself out of his grasp. “Let me go, you—”
But he only wrenched me in closer. “Join me. Join me now, before it’s too late. You’re a powerful witch, Adalia. If you can simply accept the Dark Lord—”
“Never!” I shouted, trying to hide my fear. “I’ll never do it. Now, let go of me! Stupefy!”
But he simply blocked the spell, scowling at me. “You think your paltry defences could stand against a follower of the Dark Lord? Perhaps I shouldn’t wait to teach you a lesson.”
Immediately, he turned my arm over, flipping up my robes to uncover my skin. My eyes widened as I realised what he was going to do, and I struggled in his grasp.
Holding me as still as he could, his hand like a vice on my arm, he pulled out a dagger. Setting it to the pale skin of my forearm, he pressed, quickly using my blood to draw a simplification of a pattern I knew quite well. Too well.
Once the Dark Mark had been administered, he finally let me go. “Now, be a good girl and keep this between us. If anyone gets in my way, I’ll remove them, and I’ll make sure you get front row seats.”
Immediately, I’d run from him, not sure what he’d do when he finally caught up with me. I’d climbed up into the tower to get away, but I hadn’t really left him behind. His words had clung to me like molasses, weighing me down with every step I took. In the cold night air, my chest felt tight, my breath coming in short, shallow gasps, my tears freezing on my cheeks. And yet, I couldn’t move. I was afraid the moment I stepped back into the school, he’d find me, finish what he’d started. The stinging from my forearm was a constant reminder of how hard Regulus had been trying to proselytise me to the dark side, and how close he was coming to losing his patience. He saw me as being the same as him, the youngest child of a pureblood line. He believed I should hate my brother as much as him, that I should yearn for the darkness as much as him. But I didn’t. With every time I refused him, he became more angry, and I became more desperate to get away from him, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. I couldn’t get away.
All I knew was that I wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened, not if I could help it. His threat chilled me to my bones. I wouldn’t cause anyone else that pain.
“Adalia!”
The sound sent an icicle through my chest, making my blood go cold and my heart very nearly stop in fear. I pressed a hand against my mouth to muffle my gasping breath. No. No one was supposed to find me. I was supposed to be hidden.
“Adalia! Where are you?”
But, then, I recognized the voice, and for the first time in what felt like ages, I relaxed. Somewhat. I wiped the tears from my cheeks, taking a deep breath.
Still shaking, I slid off the ledge, catching myself on the balcony by the door to the tower. “H-Hey.”
The moment Sirius saw me, his expression changed to one of extreme relief. “Oh, thank Merlin. You weren’t showing up on the map, and your brother’s been looking… everywhere….” His voice trailed off as he looked at me, his brows knitting together. “Adalia, what’s wrong? What happened?”
The kindness and compassion in his voice was all it took for the tears to start again.
Immediately, he wrapped me up in his arms, slowly lowering us to the floor as my legs gave out. “Hey, hey, hey, shh. It’s okay, little one. You’re okay now. I won’t hurt you.”
I pulled away a bit, trying to calm down enough to talk. “I— I’m s-sorry, I sh-shouldn’t be s-so—”
“Don’t apologise,” he insisted. “Don’t apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Adalia?”
I looked up as James rushed over to crouch beside me, looking extremely concerned. “What’s going on?”
“James.”
All of us looked up at Remus, whose gaze was on my arm. Oh. Right. That.
My brother grabbed my wrist, looking at the bloody mark. “Adalia, what—”
Tugging my sleeve down, I got to my feet, stepping away from them. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“Adalia,” Lily called from the doorway. Her face was deadly serious. “You need to come see this. All of you.”
Ah, crap. That wasn’t good.
Everyone hurried to follow her, only Remus hanging behind to wait for me. I avoided his gaze as I went with the rest of the group, a large pit forming in my stomach.
She led us back to the Gryffindor common room, where it seemed everyone was awake, talking in hushed voices. The minute I walked in, everyone became quiet, staring at me.
Mother of Merlin, what the hell happened?
My roommate Cleo rushed forward, grasping my arm. “I’m so sorry, Adalia. None of us were in the dorm, we didn’t even see it happen! If we had— oh, I can’t imagine how you feel.”
At her words, my blood, for what felt like the millionth time that evening, ran cold, and I sprinted towards the stairs to the girls’ dorms.
“Adalia!” she called after me, but I ignored her.
When I finally got to my door, I shoved it open, my gaze falling to my bed.
Or, what was left of it.
It was torn apart, the sheets completely ripped to shreds, the wood broken and cracked. The trunk at the foot of it was open, all of its contents strewn about the room. Books, pictures, clothes—
But that was fine. That, I could live with. They were just things. I’d get McGonagall’s permission to go to Hogsmeade to replace it, or send a letter home— hell, even just use a mending spell, something. It would be fine.
But, Gwyneira….
Cleo laid a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry.”
Pressing a hand to my mouth, I fell to my knees. Her snowy white body was pinned to the wall by her wings, stained and matted by blood. Someone had mutilated her for absolutely no reason, broken her down and killed her—
But, then, I saw the shaky rise and fall of her breast.
“Adalia—”
Jumping up, I ran over to her, taking her down as carefully as I was physically able to.
My roommate helped me, her eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think she was alive. Otherwise, I— I’m so sorry.”
As I gently wrapped her up in my arms, a piece of paper fell to the ground. I quickly picked it up, finding only three letters on it: R. A. B.
Damn him.
As I exited my dorm, I softly pet my owl. “Shh, you’ll be okay, beautiful. It’s okay. I’m here now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
“Do we take her to the Hospital Wing, or to Kettleburn?” Cleo asked fretfully.
As I came out on the bottom of the stairs, my gaze met that of Professor McGonagall, and she strode towards me. “What has happened, Miss Potter?”
I shook my head, glad to have someone to make the decision for me. “My owl, she— I-I-I don’t know what to do.”
She glanced down at my arms, pursing her lips into a thin line. “Give her to me, Miss Potter. I’ll take care of her.”
Biting my lip, I did as she asked, very reluctant to give her up, but I felt I didn’t have a choice. The moment she had her all settled, she swept out of the common room, leaving a silence in her stead.
Remus cleared his throat, taking charge and addressing the crowd that was still there. “Everyone is to return to their dorms at once. If any female dorms have any extra room for the sixth year girls to stay, that would be much appreciated. Now, off to bed.”
None of the Marauders moved, though, so neither did I.
Once we were the only ones left, Moony turned to me, his voice inviting no more nonsense, only the exact truth. “Who did this?”
I couldn’t tell him. Well, actually… I could. Regulus hadn’t forbidden me from telling them that he was speaking to me, only what about. So, taking a deep breath, I handed him the piece of paper.
He took it, glancing over it. “And before? Your arm, was it the same person?”
Feeling very small and weak, I nodded.
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “How long has this been going on?”
I didn’t want to answer that one.
“Adalia.”
“The whole year,” I informed him in barely more than a whisper.
That seemed to surprise him. “Why wouldn’t you just say something? We can help you.”
I swallowed, looking away. “It’s never been this bad before. And I didn’t— I didn’t want—” My gaze flicked to Sirius, not wanting to say it.
But Remus understood. “That doesn’t matter, Adalia. The only thing that matters is you. Now, let me see your arm.”
I held it out to him, and he lifted my sleeve. “Scourgify,” he murmured, running his wand over the wound, all of the blood washing away, leaving only the redness of the wound. He examined it, frowning. “It’s a Dark Mark.”
“A Dark Mark?” James repeated, finally jumping into the conversation. “Who gave you a Dark Mark?”
But I looked only at Remus, who nodded. “Regulus.”
Everyone was silent at that.
“Damn it,” Sirius cursed, heading towards the door.
I caught his arm, holding him back. “Don’t. Please, don’t.”
He looked at me with very thinly veiled anger. “He’s my brother, and he hurt you. I can’t just—”
“You can, and you will,” I corrected. “Please.”
He stared at me for a little while, before sighing, rubbing his mouth with his hand. “Alright. Fine, little one. I won’t.”
I gave him a faint smile. “Thanks.”
James laid a hand on my shoulder. “But, from now on, you’re not to go anywhere alone. And if he tries anything else, we’re going to deal with him.”
I met his gaze. “Okay.”
He nodded. “Okay. Now, Lily, do you have any room—”
“No, no, I couldn’t,” I insisted. “I’ll just sleep on the couch down here.”
My brother gave me a look. “I’m not going to let you sleep alone, not after—”
“Then I’ll stay with her,” Sirius offered. “It’s not like I’m going to sleep either way.”
He looked between the two of us, sighing. “Fine. Just… be careful.”
I gave him a hug. “I will. I promise.”
Then, everyone went to their respective dorms, leaving just the two of us.
I stood there for a moment, wrapping my arms around myself. “Sirius—”
“C’mon, little one,” he said, guiding me over to the couch.
Sitting down beside him, I fidgeted with my hands. “You don’t have to stay here with me.”
“It’s the least I can do, after all the grief my brother—”
“Regulus isn’t your responsibility, Sirius,” I assured him. “He’s hardly even your family anymore. You don’t have to clean up his messes. This isn’t your fault.”
He ran a hand through his hair, flashing me the killer smile that made all the girls swoon. “Well, still. You’re not entirely bad company.”
I playfully raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Not entirely?”
He nudged me in the arm. “Well, you’re a very odd person, little one. Not to mention my best friend’s little sister.”
“Which is why you call me little one,” I reminded him. “And I only let you because you’re so nice about it.”
Abruptly, he got a wolfish grin on his face. “What if I wasn’t nice about it?”
That confused me a bit. “Sirius, I’m not sure you’re capable of being anything but nice. At least, not to me.”
He began leaning in, his eyes twinkling in the firelight. “Care to test that theory, little one?”
There was something in his voice, something I’d heard before, but never directed at me. It made me feel weird— not entirely bad, but very weird. I leaned away in time with him, which only led to me nearly laying down, him hovering above me.
And then I realised. “Sirius Black, are you trying to flirt with me?”
“That depends,” he teased. “Do you like it?”
I did. But I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“What would James do if he saw this?”
He paused, looking me straight in the eyes. “You and I both already know the answer to that.”
His closeness was making my heart beat a bit faster, my breath coming a bit shallower. “Then, the question is, what’s more important to you? Your friendship with my brother, or pursuing this?”
“That also depends.”
“On what?” I asked, my mind clouding over as my back finally hit the armrest, and I realised there was nowhere left for me to go.
Sirius placed a hand on the cushion behind my head, boxing me in. “On whether or not you want me to stop.”
Merlin’s beard, no, I didn’t want him to stop. But I also knew that he should, and the only reason I wanted him to keep going was because he was hot. If he actually continued, I’d feel so extraordinarily guilty. He was a flirt, I knew that, and I could handle it. He’d only come on to me because I’d challenged him, and maybe he’d been a little lacking in the romance department recently. If I took him up on that— not only would it ruin things between me and him, but probably also me and my brother, and him and my brother, which was too much riding on something so stupid that probably wouldn’t even mean anything.
So I pressed a hand against his chest. “I’d rather not be the reason the Marauders break up.”
Sirius shrugged, straightening up. “If that’s what you want.”
I stayed down, moving my legs to lay them over his lap. “What I want is to sleep.”
He pulled out his wand, summoning a blanket from the basket by the fireplace and laying it over me. “Then sleep. I’ll be here.”
I snuggled up under the blanket, his presence comforting me. “You won’t be lonely?”
He smiled at me. “Little one, I’m used to being alone. I don’t get lonely anymore.”
“If you say so,” I murmured, exhaustion quickly taking hold. “Goodnight, Sirius.”
“Goodnight, Adalia.”
And then I closed my eyes, letting myself fall asleep.
Chapter Text
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of snoring.
Sitting up, I fumbled for my wand, using it to relight the dying fire in the hearth. In the glow that resulted from it, I looked over, seeing Sirius with his head thrown back on the couch, mouth wide open, snoring annoyingly loudly.
Groaning, I leaned forward, gently nudging him. “Sirius, if you don’t stop snoring, I’m gonna slap you,” I slurred, still very much affected by the fact that I’d been woken up from such a deep sleep. “Sirius. Sirius.”
Eventually, he gave a sort of snort, leaning forward and yawning. Merlin, why did he always have to look so hot, even when he was freaking yawning?
Opening his eyes, he sleepily looked at me. “Adalia? What’s wrong?”
“You’re snoring,” I informed him.
He furrowed his brows. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry, little one.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine, just… if you sleep normally, while laying down, then you won’t snore. And you’ll also be way more comfortable.”
Sirius smiled. “Alright. Well, shall we?”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest as he moved to lay down where I’d just been. It startled me, but he was so warm, and I was so tired… so I let all my reservations slip away, instead snuggling up into his arms.
He laughed softly. “I was expecting you to pull away, little one.”
“You’re like a pillow,” I murmured against his chest. “Stop being so comfortable, and I’ll move.”
“I’m not complaining,” he assured me. “You’re quite comfortable, as well.”
“If you say so,” I said, already feeling myself drift away. “Night.”
“Goodnight, little one. Sweet dreams.”
And for the second time that night, I let the darkness take me.
Chapter Text
“How was it?”
I glanced at Lily, confused. “How was what?”
She glanced around before leaning in. “Sleeping with Sirius.”
“You make that sound like we did something,” I admonished, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.
She gave me a knowing smile. “Didn’t you?”
“No!” I assured her sharply. “He’s my brother’s best friend. If he did anything with me, James would kill him.”
“I’m not so sure about that, myself,” she informed me. “Honestly, so long as you consented to it, and you were being safe, he’d probably be all for it.”
Recoiling, I waved a hand at her. “Okay, okay, stop. No. I don’t want to talk about this. That’s gross.”
She shrugged. “Alright. If you say so.”
That morning, I’d woken up to find Sirius sleeping on a completely different couch. After cursing him for still being so damn attractive while asleep, I was left to wonder what had happened. Had he decided to move over there because he didn’t want to be seen sleeping beside me, or had I done something? Hell, had he even been beside me in the first place, or was that all a dream?
It certainly felt like one.
But I’d left him there, sleeping, to go and get ready for the day. When I’d finally come back, he was gone, and I’d been very careful to avoid him ever since. I didn’t even know what I’d say if I saw him. Instead, I’d gone to see McGonagall about Gwyneira, and she assured me that my owl just needed a few days to recuperate, and then she’d be good as new. I believed her, but I was still worried.
Shaking my head, I grabbed some food for the road, getting to my feet. “If you keep this up, someone might assume you’ve got feelings for Sirius. Where would that leave James?” I asked innocently, walking off as she attempted to sputter a response.
As I exited the Great Hall, I saw all four of them roughhousing in the hallway. I carefully sidestepped them, walking away before any of them noticed me.
It wasn’t until I was walking out the door that I heard someone call my name, but it was fairly faint, so I decided it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume I hadn’t heard it, and I kept walking. If they really wanted to talk to me, they’d come after me.
Nobody did, so I figured it wasn’t a big deal.
I headed towards the Quidditch pitch, deciding to get in some practice. My brother had very kindly informed me my Seeking skills were lacking, so I figured I might as well work on them.
Going into the locker room, I grabbed my broom. I was glad I’d decided to keep it there, and not my dorm, because it was still intact. That would’ve been a lot more difficult to replace.
I practised for a while by myself, until the sun started to go down, and I could no longer see as well as I needed to. Only then did I land, disembarking and heading off the pitch.
I heard a slow clap as I got towards the locker room, looking up to see Regulus standing there. “Bravo. You’re really quite good at this.”
Immediately, I kicked a leg over my broom, moving to fly away.
But he pulled out his wand, pointing it at me. “You won’t leave until we’ve talked, Adalia. Have you thought any more about what I said yesterday?”
“You think I’d listen to you after what you did to Gwyneira?” I asked, my voice a bit shrill. “Are you insane?”
He smirked. “So, you got my note. Good. And I’m glad to see she’s still alive, it was never my intention to cause irrevocable harm. I was simply showing you what would happen if you ever decided to tell anyone about our little… meetings. You haven’t, have you?”
The thinly veiled threat in his voice made me swallow. “No.”
“Good,” he praised in that slimy voice of his. “Perhaps that means you’ve finally learned to listen to me. Perhaps that means you’re finally ready to ascend to your true place in life.”
“Never,” I hissed.
Regulus’s eyes darkened. “I see my brother’s influence runs deeper than I expected. No matter. I’ll have you eventually.”
Deciding I was done, I took off, beginning to fly away—
When an invisible force stopped me, forcing me to become still.
I glanced over my shoulder to see him pointing his wand at me. “I wasn’t finished talking.”
“Well I’m finished listening,” I spat, drawing my own wand. “Stupefy!”
He may have easily blocked it, but that action made him release his hold on me, and I flew away as fast as I could. Being a Seeker, it was pretty fast, and I was gone before he could do anything else.
I flew in through a window, as close to the Gryffindor common room as I could. Everyone else would’ve been at dinner, but I wasn’t hungry. Instead, I went straight up to my dorm, glad to see that it had been restored to its former tidiness. I tucked my broom away, resolving to return it the following morning before class, and got ready for bed. Only, I didn’t go to sleep. Instead, I simply sat by the window, staring out into the night, at the stars. My eyes subconsciously sought out Sirius, and I told myself it was just because it was the brightest star in the whole sky. An apt description, I thought, a smile gracing my lips. But then I shook my head, forcing myself to forget it.
There came a knock at the door, and I turned to see Lily come in with a plate piled high with food. “The boys made me bring this to you. They want to make sure you’re okay.”
I gave her a faint smile. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
She saw right through me, though, setting the food down and coming over to sit down next to me. “Sirius seemed really sad at dinner. Did something happen between you two?”
I shook my head. “No, nothing happened. If he’s sad, I promise you, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Okay,” she relented, though she seemed unconvinced. “Are you sure you’re alright? After everything that happened yesterday—”
“It’s not a big deal,” I assured her. “McGonagall said Gwyneira’s going to be fine, so… what else is there to worry about?”
Regulus, obviously, but I was trying to forget about both of the Blacks right then.
Lily took a deep breath, standing. “I guess nothing. But if that changes—”
“I’ll let you know,” I assured her. “But I think I’m just going to turn in early tonight. Goodnight.”
Nodding, she walked towards the door. “Goodnight.”
When she was gone, I fell back against the wall, feeling bad for lying to her. But it was necessary. If any of them uncovered the truth… they wouldn’t, though. They couldn’t. I just needed to be more careful, pay more attention.
Sighing, I went over to my bed, sliding underneath the covers. I didn’t have anything better to do, so I just… slept.