The Marauder's heiress returns

Play the werewolf

As the months passed, the weather grew warmer, giving the students more opportunities to socialize, complete homework, and even practice spells outside in the open. Adelaide and the Marauder's Pack found a comfortable but secluded spot by the Black Lake, closest to the Forbidden Forest. They often wandered into the trees after a tiring day in class and had luckily never crossed any trouble due to Adelaide's magic being comforting for creatures, mostly those labelled dark.

Adelaide had dedicated a significant amount of time to helping first-years in and outside of the four common rooms. She and her group were frequently stopped in the halls by students of all ages, with some just greeting them and others seeking help with various issues within the houses. Although she wasn't sure when they had become counsellors for Hogwarts, they often found themselves mediating disagreements between friends, lovers, and housemates. Of course, there were a few students who refused to acknowledge them whilst others spent quite a lot of time flirting with the pack, which was both amusing and annoying.

Since curing those who had been petrified, the pack had quickly noticed Granger's presence almost everywhere they went and only managed to get some peace when in the common rooms (Not Gryffindors). They suspected there was a reason behind her stalking and came to the conclusion that Dumbledore was most likely behind it but the pack found it rather odd that she consistently tried to befriend them, acting uncomfortably nice and helpful. They simply decided to ignore the girl and go about their business, though made sure to keep private matters behind closed doors because they never knew when she was close by until they physically saw her.

-oOoOo-

As usual, the pack were sitting together for lunch but had decided to join Cedric and his friends at the Hufflepuff table after being invited by the Quidditch captain. The conversation flowed easily and was by far the loudest in the hall with all the laughter they shared.

"I'm telling you, the lizard was chasing me!" Enzo stated through his laughter, tears pouring from his eyes as his friends around him struggled to breathe through their hysterics.

"W-Why would a lizard be in your dorm?" Adelaide questioned from beside him, trying her hardest to calm down enough to speak properly.

Enzo let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest with an adorable pout on his face. "I dunno but it scared me"

Adelaide cooed and shuffled closer to him, knowing that the boy was being purposely dramatic but decided to play along. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him down slightly before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"My poor Enz" She cooed quietly in his ear, pulling away with a giggle as she felt him nuzzle his face in her neck and make a playful growling noise.

"Are they always so... affectionate?" Susan whispered from the other side of Adelaide, looking between her and Enzo whose head remained on her shoulder. The question was a harmless one and Adelaide could see the genuine curiosity in the redhead's eyes which she knew was something many at Hogwarts wanted to know the answer to.

"Have you ever read about wolf packs and their dynamic?" Adelaide's question caught Susan off guard but with a confirmed nod, she decided to continue. "So you know that the Alpha is there to care, love and protect the pack. It's how our group dynamic is, I'm the Alpha and they are all part of my pack. They seek comfort, reassurance and love but they also show me all those things, and I'm sure you've noticed how protective they are of me"

"Is it because of who you are?" Adelaide turned to Hannah, who was sitting opposite Susan and noticed that many on the Hufflepuff's table were listening intensely to the conversation.

"We aren't sure, to be honest, but that is most likely the reason"

"So those leather jackets represent your... pack?" Adelaide and the pack all nodded their heads with proud smiles on their faces. Susan and Hannah exchanged a look, both amused by their proudness but also kind of envious, wishing they had a friend group as close and bonded as theirs.