𝙑𝙄𝙍𝙄𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙔 ➞𝘏.𝘎

seventy three

"Closure"

-THE MALFOY SIBLINGS SHARED A LOOK AND TURNED AROUND, COMING FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE ONE MAN THEY WANTED TO AVOID. Sirius Orion Black. He gave his bestfriend, James, a nod, who understood what he meant and left immediately.

Sirius turned towards the young girl infront of him. The young girl, who looked so much like him, but was nothing like him at the same time. How could a parent and a child be so similar, but so different?

"I'm not going to take much of your time," said Sirius immediately, right before Adhara could talk. "I've come to the realization that you need space, Adhara. And that's exactly what I'm going to give you."

Draco looked at his sister, who motioned subtly for him to leave them alone. He nodded and immediately went to where his father was at, giving the two privacy.

Adhara put her hands in the pockets of her pants and swallowed, her throat thick with emotion. For once, she felt like her needs were respected by Sirius. "Then, why are you talking to me right now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius gave her a small smile. "I just wanted to tell you that our offer still stands. When, or if, you feel ready, our manor is always your home, Addie. If you ever want to spend the summer with us, we would love to have your company." He said, shrugging ar her suspicious look. "Remus advised me just a tad."

Adhara's lips quirked upwards for a moment. "He did the same to me," she replied, making him let out a chuckle. Typical Remus.

"Alright, well." Sirius also put his hands in his pockets, giving her a nod. "Take as much space as you want. We're all ready for your return, if you ever even want that."

"Sirius?" She asked just before he could leave. She continued when he let out a questioning hum, "Is it alright if I send you a letter when, or if, I feel ready to come back to your manor?"

Sirius gave her a look. "What did I just say, Addie? We would love your company, and will be looking forward to that. However, please take all the time you need."

The first thing Draco asked his sister as soon as they were apparated back into Malfoy manor, was, "What did he want?"

Walking up the stairs leading to her bedroom, Adhara simply replied, "He told me that he'll give me space until I feel ready to go back to them."

Draco seemed shocked at that. For once, Sirius Black was actually mature, it seemed. "That's wonderful. You do need some space, after all."

His sister merely nodded and flopped onto her bed as soon as they stepped into her bedroom. She let out a groan when she realized something.

Draco raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms at her state. "What?" He finally asked.

Adhara sat back up and sighed. "Do you think I should have a talk with mother?" She asked the question she had been wondering for a long while. "I mean an honest, raw, and vulnerable talk with her. About what happened in the Lestrange manor a while ago, and about everything else."

"I'm not typically the person people run to when they want advice," pointed out Draco sheepishly. He sat down next to her on her bed and shrugged, thinking about it for a moment. "However, I honestly think that's a wonderful idea. You could get everything off your chest. Your heart will feel much lighter afterwards."

The girl nodded, agreeing with him. Sometimes, she hated confrontation. Other times, she had to suck it up and deal with it. Just like she had to suck it up and deal with a bunch of other things. But for now, she would start at the beginning, and build her way to other problems that obviously needed to be fixed, so she could be fixed.

She stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where to?" asked the oblivious boy.

"To mother," replied Adhara as if it was obvious. She walked out of the room and started walking towards Narcissa's painting room, knowing she would be there.

And she was right.

When Adhara opened the door of the beautiful room, she walked in and closed it behind her, smiling at the woman who immediately put down her paintbrush and stood up.

Narcissa then sat down on the couch there and patted the empty seat next to her, motioning for her daughter to sit there. She immediately smiled when Adhara did so.

"What's wrong, dear?" She frowned in concern, noticing the girl's eyes deep in thought. "What's bothering you?"

Adhara let out a deep breath and turned to the woman next to her. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, trying to find the perfect words but failing to do so. Instead, she merely asked, "I know I have brought up this subject maybe too much, or maybe not enough. But, mother, I need to know. Do you blame me? For Bellatrix's death specifically?"

The woman held Adhara's hands in her own soft hands, that had dried paint all over them. Narcissa was a beauty. Any flaw she had, made her look prettier.

"Of course not." Narcissa stated simply, then tucked a lock of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Ara, what you did was extremely brave. I mourn for my sister sometimes, but never mourn over what you did. Infact, remembering what you did always makes me feel great pride. And I only mourn for Bella because she was my sister, not because of who she was. Because who she was, was not worthy of my mourning."

Adhara felt tears pool in her eyes hearing those words. It was perfectly worded, and that made something in her heart open. She let a few tears slip infront of the woman that raised her. The woman that dried those tears with paint-stained fingers.

"I love you, my beautiful Ara." Narcissa finished with a soft smile, love and pride evident in her facial features, especially her eyes. "You have done nothing but make me proud of the woman I raised. Cecilia would've been so proud of you."

"Do you think so?" whispered Adhara, her voice cracking.

Narcissa nodded immediately. "I know so."

   And maybe Adhara finally took a step towards healing. One small step.

   But a small step, was still a step. It was still a start.