𝙑𝙄𝙍𝙄𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙔 ➞𝘏.𝘎

seventy nine

"Family."

-ADHARA WAS SITTING IN THE DINING ROOM AFTER READING THE LETTER FROM SIRIUS THAT SHE RECIEVED AN HOUR AGO. The Malfoy family, right now, were eating dinner.

Adhara opened her mouth and finally announced, "I'm spending the next few weeks of summer at Potter-Black manor."

Lucius looked up from his plate of food and nodded. "As you wish, Ara."

"Do be careful," added Narcissa. She worried for her daughter, and rightfully so after everything her daughter went through.

Packing for the next few weeks, Adhara used her wand to do so. She had turned seventeen a while ago on the first of July, and like always, she didn't celebrate her birthday.

She didn't want to.

But atleast she was now allowed to use her wand outside of Hogwarts, something she was excited for.

Narcissa walked into her room, tutting at the mess. With one wave of her hand, the whole room was tidied. "You've got to keep your room cleaner more often, Ara."

Adhara merely nodded, still in the middle of packing. She crouched down when she was done and closed her trunk by her own hands instead of using her wand to do so.

Narcissa crouched down to her daughter's level and put a hand on her back. "Ara," she started with a smile. "I'm so proud of you."

   The young girl looked at her, her lips quirking up a tiny bit. "Am I doing it right, mum?" She asked, not knowing if she was doing something right or not.

   Narcissa nodded immediately, kissing her daughter's forehead. "You are, my dear."

   "I've still got a long way to go," pointed out Adhara as she stood up with her trunk in her hand. She looked at the fireplace in her room and walked over to it after hugging her mother one last time before leaving.

   She had already bid her goodbyes to both her brother and father.

   "I love you, Ara." Narcissa smiled softly, a proud look in her eyes. Her daughter was growing up. "You are slowly but surely turning into a mature, young woman."

   Adhara smiled back, not having an answer to that. She took a handful of floo powder and threw it to the ground inside the fireplace, shouting, "Potter-Black manor!"

As soon as Adhara stepped out of the fireplace of the Potter-Black manor's, she let out a cough at the dust. She looked at the dark living room she was in, feeling relief for a second at the fact that nobody was there.

But then, her shoulders slumped.

Nobody was there.

No lights were on. No person was there. It seemed empty—

   The lights turned on suddenly.

   Sirius Black and Remus Black walked in, both holding a cake lit up with candles in their hands as they walked in, singing— in a horrible voice, in Adhara's opinion— the happy birthday song.

   But she didn't stop them. She let go of her trunk and felt herself genuinely smiling slowly as they walked nearer, both of the men having smiles on their faces.

   When they were done singing, Sirius looked at his daughter with a soft glint in his eyes. "We know your birthday was a month ago, but we still wanted to celebrate it." He explained, then said. "Happy birthday, Addie."

   As soon as the cake was put on the coffee table, Adhara rushed into Sirius's arms. Sirius immediately hugged back, but gave a shocked but delighted look to his husband, who was watching fondly.

   "Thank you," mumbled Adhara, arms still wrapped around the man. "Thank you."

   Sirius shook his head, swallowing the emotion he was feeling. "I love you, Addie." He whispered, but knew that she heard.

   She pulled away and replied with a smile, but tears in her eyes. Happy tears. Adhara then turned to the side, giving Remus a hug as well.

   Remus hugged back immediately. "Welcome home, Addie."

   "This is good cake!" Harry exclaimed as he walked into Adhara's room in the manor, holding a plate with cake on it that he was eating. He pointed at it with the fork in his other hand. "You have got to try this, Addie. This is delicious!"

   She rolled her eyes fondly while unpacking her trunk. "As if they haven't given you enough birthdays and cakes, Potter?"

   Harry glared at her with no real intensity behind it. "No, actually. Sirius and Remus didn't. My parents did." He pointed out. To be fair, it wasn't Sirius and Remus's job to get Harry a cake on his birthday, since they were not his parents. Also, Harry most of the time spent his birthday spending quality time with his own parents, something that was hard to do in a manor they shared with others.

   Adhara ignored him. She continued to unpack.

"Harry James Potter!" exclaimed Lily by the door with crossed arms and a motherly glare towards her son. "Leave the poor girl to unpack and come downstairs. Your father broke your broom."

Harry's eyes widened in horror. He left the plate of cake and fork on the desk in the bedroom, and rushed out of the room and down the stairs.

Adhara turned to Lily, a confused expression on her face. "Did he really?"

"No." Lily smiled cheekily. "It was the quickest way to get him to leave you alone."

Adhara chuckled, shaking her head fondly. "Thank you, Lily."