𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑, ᴊ. ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ

𝐎𝐍𝐄

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 had stopped accompanying them to the platform when they were in 3rd year. A blessing because Aries felt like she could breathe without her mother hovering behind her.

Regulus stood at her side, his eyes trained on the floor. She knew why, of course. They hadn't seen him since he left. Regulus was avoiding the Grey eyes that Aries was searching for.

Interrupting her from her search, a voice behind her called, "Ries!" Turning to the voice, Aries met her with her best friend, Anastasia Rosier. She smiled, hand reaching out to squeeze her arm. They wouldn't hug out here in front of this many people.

Standing behind Ana were the rest of the Rosiers; Evan, Pandora, and Atlas. Atlas stepped forward, grabbing Aries's bag. "Where's Cas?" Regulus asks, walking towards the train.

"Already in a compartment with Barty," Pandora replies in her usual wispy voice. Aries slightly smiled at the girl; she always admired Pandora Rosier. She was the sweetest out of all of them.

When they arrived at the compartment, Aries, Atlas, Ana, and Dorcas took one side, while Regulus, Pandora, Evan, and Barty took the other.

None of them talked, occasional words here and there, but they liked it that way. Pandora and Ana drew, Barty and Evan Slept, Regulus and Dorcas read, and Aries and Atlas sat in the other's company. They didn't have a lot of love in their lives, but they had each other.

༄༄༄

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 sat comfortably in their spots, James and Sirius on one side, Peter and Remus on the other. Peter was asleep, his head resting on Remus's shoulder, James was playing with his snitch, Sirius was drawing, and Remus was reading a book he was gifted over the summer.

A knock on the compartment door had gathered their attention, save for Peter. Turning their heads to the door, they were met with Anastasia. Sirius hopped to his feet; the confusion was evident on his face. His first instinct was that something was wrong. Why else would she be here? The other two boys must have sensed his worry, turning to face the girl completely.

The defensiveness on James's face must have been apparent because she raised her hands in defense and said, "I'm not here to curse him, Potter," The corner of Sirius's lips twitched. "I just wanted to let him know that Regulus is okay," James nodded, his face softening into understanding.

Sirius nodded, processing the information, "Aries?" He whispered, his feet shuffling. Honestly, he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted an answer. Aries was a– complicated person to understand.

When Anastasia looked unsure, he continued. "Please, Ana, I want to know if my little sister is okay,"

"Walburga burned your face off the tapestry barely 20 minutes after you left," Sirius knew that, of course, but hearing it hurt more than he expected. "So, she's not technically your little sister anymore," It was a shot below the belt, but that's what they were raised to do. He knew that too.

Sirius barely moved at the comment, barely breathed. His small intake of breath was the only sign that her blow had hit. No, he thought, she would always be his little sister. It didn't matter what side they were on; she was his sister. Always his baby sister. "That's not what I asked," he responded forcefully, setting his hand on James's shoulder for support.

"What do you think?" She shrugged, turning to leave. It was a vague response, but as someone who knew Aries Black better than he knew himself, Sirius got it. James, on the other hand, did not.

"The bloody hell does that mean?" James asked, looking at Sirius. Remus choked a laugh, returning to his comfortable position.

༄༄༄

𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 welcoming feast, Aries had sat next to Barty, which was her first mistake. The boy never knew when to shut up, but in his defense, he was just trying to make her laugh. It had worked a few times, but her smile had almost permanently dropped after seeing Sirius enter the hall. She'd never seen his smile that big before. It hurt, loathe as she was to admit.

"Quick question," Atlas whispered from her other side, "Why is Potter staring at us?" Everyone's eyes shot towards the boy; Aries' stayed on her plate.

"He probably thinks the twins are going to curse Sirius while he's not looking," Evan mumbled, nudging Regulus with his elbow. Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows at her cousin, a typical response to anything he says.

"Which twins?" Barty asks, motioning towards Aries and Regulus and Ana and Atlas.

"Either," The blonde shrugs.

"That is not why he's staring," Aries turned to her twin, giving him a questioning look. Regulus did this when he spoke in front of their friends, where he sounded so confident like he knew all the answers in the world. It made him trustworthy to them, but Aries knew better. She knew it was a mask, a cover of his fear. "Ana?"

Her golden eyes flicked up, an innocent look resting on her beautiful face. "Yes, Handsome?"

"Where'd you go when you disappeared on the train?" Regulug leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. He reminded Aries of Sirius whenever he acted like this. She wasn't quite sure how it made her feel.

"To the loo," Anastasia answered, her stare never moving. Merlin, this was going to take forever. Those two are the most stubborn people Aries had ever met. After a few moments, Regulus raised an eyebrow, and she sighed, "Fine, I went to tell Sirius that you were okay,"

"You what?" The cool mask on Anastasia's face wavered at her tone. It wasn't often that Aries's voice was anything but calm.

"I told him that Regulus was okay," Ana took a breath before continuing, "He asked how you were, too,"

"And?"

"I asked him what he thought," Aries nodded after a moment, satisfied with her answer.

"So pretty boy isn't looking at us; he's looking at you, Princess," Atlas smirked, turning to the girl beside him.

"Keep making jokes, and I'll curse you while you sleep,"

"Does that mean you watch me sleep?"

"Please, stop talking, Atlas,"