Adeleine Potter: The Shifting Shadows, Draco fanfic

Part 1

And I've tried and tried and tried, each attempt feeling more desperate than the last. But it didn't seem to work for me. Every shifting method known to the digital world, on every social platform imaginable, I had already scoured and attempted. And believe me, giving up isn't in my nature. Just like that first day of learning to ride a bike – I mastered it after 7 grueling hours, my knees bruised, my eyes teary. But my big brother Leonard, he was proud, even when I hurled childish insults at him, which, as my mother pointedly remarked, was very unladylike for a four-year-old.

In our affluent neighborhood, lined with manicured lawns and pristine pavements, no other girl was even allowed near a bike, let alone ride one.

"Adeleine?" The sharp call of my mother's voice pierced through my thoughts.

Startled, I jumped up from my bed, the soft sheets tangled around my legs. I glanced at the clock and realized, with a sinking feeling, that it was already time for school. Normally punctuality was my forte, but lately, with my mind constantly wandering to different realms – particularly Hogwarts, my imagined sanctuary – I had been losing track of time.

Quickly, I swept my long blond hair into a ponytail, its strands catching the morning light. My school uniform, bland and plain in comparison to the majestic Hogwarts robes, lay neatly folded on my desk.

"Adeleine Lilian Roberts, do I really have to come up there and drag you down to the car?" Leonard's voice, tinged with mock annoyance, echoed up the stairs. At almost sixteen, I was teetering on the edge of independence, yet he still treated me as if I were a child.

"No, I'm coming, just wait a second!" I called back, hurrying down the grand staircase of our foyer. My gaze momentarily caught on the new chandelier, its crystals casting a kaleidoscope of light across the walls. It was one of my mother's recent attempts to reinvent herself and our home after my father's betrayal – an endless cycle of redecoration, each design never quite enough to erase the past.

The car ride to school was a silent affair, my exhaustion forming a barrier between us. As we pulled into the school grounds, my eyes found Lacy, my steadfast friend amidst the chaos of teenage life. Despite my weariness, a smile tugged at my lips as I embraced her – a genuine moment of joy in the otherwise monotonous routine.

But I couldn't share everything with Lacy. My shifting attempts, my deep-seated longing for a world beyond, remained my secret. The one time I had broached the subject, her words were dismissive, laced with disbelief. So I never mentioned it again, keeping my dreams tightly locked within.

The school day dragged on, each class blending into the next. The teachers, disillusioned with their own careers, the uninspiring walls of the classroom, and the students, each lost in their own world of privilege and pretense. I couldn't help but feel detached, observing it all as if from a distance.

Then, a scene in the hallway caught my attention. A group of older students was surrounding a younger boy, their taunts sharp and cruel. Without a second thought, I stepped forward.

"Maybe you should find someone your own size," I said, my voice steady, meeting their mocking gazes head-on.

Their leader, a girl with a sneer permanently etched on her face, turned to me. "Oh, look, it's Adeleine Lilian Roberts. I thought you'd left after your father's little escapade."

Her words, meant to wound, only fueled my anger. And before I knew it, my fist connected with her face – an impulsive act of defiance that led me straight to the principal's office.

My mother, called in for an emergency meeting, didn't ask for my side of the story. She only yelled, her words echoing the same detachment I'd felt all day. It was as if she couldn't see the turmoil inside me, the storm that had been brewing since our family fell apart.