"If you're the lord, what does that make me? The lady?"
The war is over and all seems to be going minimally well until everything comes crashing back down for Adhara to the point where she would trade her existence to fix everything that had gone wr...
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Some of those who had left the Great Hall earlier asked what had happened in the time they were out, clearly they were aware of the reading still as Adhara had predicted and would surely stay from now on.
Rodolphus Lestrange and his wife were eating in silence while Rabastan was off playing with the food on his plate and with a goofy smile on his lips, he seemed to be the only one not to realise that he was going to die in the not too distant future as he was so focused on the fact that his soulmate was Miss Evans.
On the other hand, the Evans family seemed to be calmer about the news: Mr. Evans grumbled but he thought the young man was a better catch than Vernon Dursley so he had few complaints; Mrs. Evans listened to her husband and sometimes banged his head when he went too far with his comments; and, on the other hand, Lily teased her sister about it although Petunia didn't seem to be able to hear her as her head tried to process all the information. Sometimes her gaze would wander to where Rabastan was, but she would avert it immediately in embarrassment.
And, finally, Hadrian would look at Adhara accusingly for not having told him for so many years.
"If your aunt didn't want to tell you anything, it's not my problem."
"But–! I've been trying to get her to date someone because I didn't want to see her spend the rest of her days alone without her soulmate, I thought it was because Vernon had traumatised her."
"Your aunt isn't that weak-minded," she replied, smacking Hadrian's forehead gently.
"I think we'll be done reading the books in a week or so at this rate," Deimos commented, feeding Hadrian with food.
"We'll finish the first book today if no one has any complaints," Adhara said, looking in her father's direction. "Tomorrow I'll sit down with Rien and Ruka, it's for the best."
"Surely," nodded Deimos remembering that year, it was a very stressful one even though everything turned out well in the end.
Lord Gaunt wished to ask what it was about the next book that made them so silent, even his future version seemed pensive.
"Now I will be able to know exactly what my version of the diary did."
"I thought you had his memories."
"More or less, it's good to be sure," he replied, kissing her lips.
"Jealous man," she mumbled with a smile on her lips as she gave him a peck before continuing her meal. "The next few chapters are going to be messy."
"If they're from my point of view, surely," Hadrian sighed. "I can't believe that old goat dared to up the dosage of compulsions at such a time."
"We ruined a lot of his plans without meaning to at the time after all," Adhara chuckled with satisfaction at that.
∞
"I want to read, please," asked Pandora, Luna Lovegood's mother, when everyone who was supposed to be leaving was gone. "Chapter fifteen: Nicolas Flamel.
