𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀, harry potter

fourty six

46 || truths

USUALLY VISITING Grimmauld Place was a happy thing for Adelaide, but currently she want to throw herself off a tall, tall building. Marlene had given her a couple hours to pack what she needed to stay for the summer and that was that.

Her feet were dangling out of the window as she inhaled a breath of smoke and tobacco, the feeling burning her throat like usual but she didn't care anymore. At an exhale, a puff of smoke drifted out of the window and into the streets of London. She'd been doing that for a couple days now, only coming down for food when the others weren't there.

Two knocks sounded at the door and Adelaide stressed to blunt her cigarette, "I already know," Regulus said walking in and sitting next to her on the window sill, "Come on, the room stinks of smoke and you think that won't travel into the hall? I sleep two doors down."

"You aren't going to tell Marlene and Sirius?" Adelaide asked, not taking her eyes off the sky. Regulus' takes a sharp intake of breath, "So it's Marlene now? Are you going to start calling me Uncle Regulus next?"

Unbothered, Adelaide turns her head to him with a look telling him to shut up, "If you're just here to pester me, get out. I don't want to deal with it."

He stood from the window sill and walked over to the dresser, stood on that was picture frames, three, one of Walburga and Adelaide, one of Regulus and Mary with Adelaide and a final one of baby Adelaide with Sirius and Marlene. His eyes drifted over to a lone piece of photo film on the side, Alexis.

"Where'd you find this?" Regulus asked, lifting up the film to which Adelaide shrugged, "I found it in the attic. A box labelled 'do not open', so I opened it. That was in one of Sirius' old photo albums."

"I loved her." Adelaide head snapped over so quick she swore she got whiplash, "You- you what?"

Regulus sat himself at the foot of her bed, patting the space next to him, "Sit, I'll tell you all about her." Adelaide complied, dropping the cigarette into an ashtray.

"I was in my fifth year when Alexis first approached me, McGonagall had told her I was failing Transfiguration and needed to get my grades up for my O.W.Ls. I was so angry at first, I didn't want a Gryffindor teaching me things, never mind a friend of my brothers. I made a point of showing up late to every session for a month, I wouldn't pay attention, would flirt with other girls, I'd be doing anything to ignore her. But one day she exploded on me, told me she didn't want to be doing it either, that it wouldn't matter if I payed attention or not, she wasn't the one failing Transfiguration. Something snapped in me after that. Months went by and I was improving drastically, Alexis made learning fun and it helped that she was, by far, the most stunning human being I had met."

He stopped, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes, Adelaide placed her hand on his shoulder, "You alright Reg? We don't need to continue." Regulus shook his head, "No. I need to tell you. It's the least you deserve." After a moment of silence he continued, "A surge of confidence forced me to ask Alexis to Hogsmead one weekend, and to my surprise she said yes. We went to the Three Broomsticks, had a butterbeer, went on a walk, everything was perfect. Turns out Bellatrix decided she wanted to visit that day, she caught me laughing with Alexis, Bellatrix already knew about her, how her family branded her a blood traitor, she was so angry. I don't think I'll ever forget her face that day. She cursed Alexis and it was so bad, I didn't know what she had done, I ran her up to the castle, took her to Madam Pomfrey. I was more scared in that moment than I had ever been of my father. If I thought Bellatrix was bad, I wasn't prepared for Sirius' rage, he blames the whole thing on me, blew up about me apparently luring Alexis into a trap, wanting her dead because I was a 'blood purist' like what was pushed on me. I tried to fight back but I knew I was bad for Alexis, if I was with her she'd only know pain. I had only been laughing with her and Bellatrix hurt her, I could only imagine if the rest of my family found out. I cancelled tutoring, steered clear from her, found a different way when I saw her in the corridors. It hurt but I knew it was for the best and I see so much of her in you. You're everything that she was, might I say better with a little of me in there."

Adelaide wrapped her arms around Regulus, burying her head into the crook of his neck, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The door creaked open and Sirius stood there with a disappointed look on his face, "Regulus. You're needed downstairs."

Adelaide and Regulus disappeared down the stairs together and Sirius looked after them longingly, he knew keeping a secret from his daughter was wrong, but in his defence he had been locked away in Azkaban when the right time to tell her came. He was so jealous of Regulus, funny how times could change, Regulus used to long to have friends like Sirius and now Sirius wanted the relationship Regulus has with Adelaide.

. . .

MARLENE HAD never been shunned by her daughter like this before, if Adelaide was sat in the front room and she walked in, the girl would leave. If Marlene wanted to go up the stairs but Adelaide was about to go down them, Adelaide would go back to her room. It was hell.

But now, Regulus and Adelaide were on good terms again, which gave her a little hope, "You told her the story of how Alexis almost got killed by Bellatrix? That made her forgive you?"

Regulus sighed, "No. I told her a story about her mother, a truth, after years of lies." Marlene stood up, "All I need to do is tell her a truth? I can do that."

Before the man could respond, Marlene was out of the room and up the stairs, "This is going to go well."

Marlene knocked on Adelaide's door and at the sound of a quiet 'come in', pushed it open, "Hey. Can we talk?" Adelaide nodded to the door of her bed, which is quickly becoming the truth spot, "I know it's been an awkward week with us, and I need you to know that I love you no matter what."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows expectantly, "And?"

"I should never have kept a secret from you, especially not one that big. I just thought that if you found out that I wasn't your real mother you'd push me away, and soon you'd be nothing but a distant memory."

"You know I would never do that mum," Adelaide said, "Family is more important to me than anything, it doesn't matter if you're blood related or not, I love Mary and she doesn't share my blood, and I love you more because you made me into who I am today. You gave me everything I hoped for, a family, love, hope in darkness. Maybe things went wrong along the way but I love you because you're my mum. No one else. Alexis Lore is my biological mother, the Lore family is my biological family, but the Black's are my family, the Macdonald's are my family, the Lupin's, even messed up one's like Lestrange, Nott and Greengrass. The McKinnon's are my family. And nothing will ever change that."

Marlene hadn't realised she was crying until she wiped a tear from her face, "I'm so sorry for keeping you in the dark my darling, you're my daughter and I love you so, so much."

Adelaide smiled, "I love you too," She clapped and stood up, "Now. No moping around, it's summer and we haven't baked our annual cake yet mum!"

"Well then, let's get right to it."

— AUTHORS NOTE
this is a really boring chapter that
is basically the 'parents' getting
their redemptions from ads i'm
having such bad writes block rn