MOON AND STARS, fred weasley

two

"Fred! George!" she greeted as she walked into the house. She didn't see them too much outside of Hogwarts due to her 'little furry problem' as her dad and James liked to call it. "Did you get my parcel?"

"They certainly did!" Molly said from behind them. She hadn't seen her there. "Tickling teacups!"

Her dad sighed from beside her. "Again? Where do you three come up with these ideas."

"I'll have you know I'm the brains of this operation," Adhara boasted, then saw the look on Mrs. Weasley's face. "But nothing compared to these two!"

"Not only that, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley. "But I caught them with mandrake leaves in their mouths."

"I'm not the only to blame for that one, Dad. Uncle James had some input too."

Remus sighed. "I bet he did."

"This is the third year in a row we've tried," Fred said. "And just when we were about to succeed..."

"Victory, snatched away at the last second," George finished.

"Three years!" Molly screeched.

"Hey, don't look at me," Adhara said. "I wasn't the one with a mandrake leave in my mouth. That's all them. I already turn into an animal once a full moon."

An unfamiliar laugh came from behind Molly. "Brilliant."

Her eyes widened. For a second, she didn't know what to do. Luckily, her dad saved her as he rushed forward to meet Sirius and both of them held each other in their arms, inspecting one another.

"I feel like I'm interrupting," George said.

"I'm not done with you two," said Molly, then looked at Adhara. "You three."

Mrs. Weasley walked away, and that left her face to face with Sirius, who'd just separated from her dad.

"Adhara," he said, and the word felt so weird to hear coming from him. "You're so... big."

Feeling awkward in the situation, Fred and George left too. Traitors, she thought.

"You two should talk," her dad said leaving her and Sirius alone. She was so getting him back for this.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. She hadn't realised how much they looked alike when she'd seen photos of him before. Their hair looked the same, and they both had the same grey eyes. It was like she'd hardly taken  anything on from Marlene at all, except for face shape.

"I don't know what to talk to you about," she said bluntly.

"Truthfully, I'm stuck for words too," Sirius replied. "I've been waiting for this moment for 14 years and now... nothing."

Well, at least they were similar on that front.

"Dad said you used to live here," Adhara said. "It's kind of depressing."

"I'd always thought the same. You'll be staying in my old room, though, which is the smallest bit better."

Curiosity got the better of her. "Can I see it?"

"I haven't seen it since I was sixteen, so be warned," he joked as they walked up the stairs.

Ah. She remembered James saying something about that. Sirius had ran away from home when he was sixteen. From the look of it already, she couldn't blame him, though she knew it was much more complicated than the way their house looked,

Sirius' room was also dark. Only it was decorated in some band posters. One stuck out to her.

"You liked Queen?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? I love Queen."

"Me too," she said, not hiding the grin at finding a common interest with her birth father. "I once enchanted a record player in the common room to play the introduction of Bicycle Race over and over again. Nobody was impressed, except for me of course!"

"And that would be the common room of..."

"Slytherin, of course."

Sirius' face dropped for a second.

"I'm only kidding. I'm a Gryffindor, same as you and Dad. You should have seen your face!"

"Listen," he said. "I know this is hypocritical of me, but the twins do know the dangers of becoming illegal animagi, right?"

"Yes, but that wouldn't stop them. Same for Lee. I wonder if he's actually succeeded this time." She stopped for a second, gaining eye contact with Sirius. "I know it sounds like I am, but I'm not completely for the idea either. I mean, once they do succeed, I could hurt them. And I don't know if I really want them all to see me wolfed up."

Sirius stopped. "Why not?"

Ensuring the door was closed first she continued, "I feel ugly enough when I come out of it, littered in those scars. Lily's potion is the only reason I'm fine now. But in the moment, them all being conscious of it when I'm not... I don't like the idea. And I don't want them to see me for what I am..." She felt guilty for saying it when she knew her dad suffered for it to, but she spoke the truth as to how she sometimes saw herself. "A monster."

Sirius' heart broke in two. Years of hearing Remus refer to himself in the same way, and now his daughter too... Nothing could have prepared him for it.

"You're not a monster. You know that, right? Listen, I know we don't know each other very well yet, but from what I know, monsters don't spend their time listening to Queen, or pranking their peers, or lining up her books by author and colour."

At the last part, her mouth parted. "Dads a snitch."

"I spent years convincing your dad he wasn't a monster. And if I have to do the same for you, I'll do it. Now I'm here, I'm here to stay."

She stayed silent for a second, blinking harshly so no tears would fall forward.

"Thanks," she said brittly. "You're a lot better than I expected."

"What did you expect? A murderous, raving lunatic?"

"No—maybe the lunatic part? I just didn't know what it was going to be like when we met. I was so nervous this morning." She smiled. "But I'm glad I've met you now. Dad was right. It just sucks that I had to wait until now to meet you."

"Believe me, I wish we could've met sooner too," he said, cupping her face with his hand. "But I'm here now. Now how about I help you unpack?"

"Only if you won't snitch to Dad about the things I've snuck in there."

"Please," said Sirius. "You might not remember it, but I was the cool dad before. I need to take back that status."

She opened her suitcase.