"I was thinking about leaving again
It all depends
Are we just friends?"
In which Madeline Potter
and Sirius Black aren't
allowed to fancy each other,
...
𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 chapter thirty-eight; One Last Train Ride " We're proud of you, of who you are and what you've done and who you will be. What you will do. "
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
IT HAD NEVER occurred to Fleamont or Euphemia Potter that they would cry on the morning of September 1st. Not the whole time Madeline, James, Sirius, and Regulus were rushing around, shoving final things into trunks and dragging them downstairs. Not during a rushed breakfast or an ushering of them through the fireplace.
Only standing on the platform, watching Sirius load Madeline's trunks onto a trolley before his own, James making a joke that managed to make Regulus laugh loudly enough to ring throughout the station.
That was when the first tear fell.
"Mum, don't cry," Madeline laughed lightly, pulling her mother into a hug as soon as she realized.
"It's your last year," Euphemia exclaimed as James approached them, "You two are all grown up."
"We'll always be your kids, Mum," James said gently as Madeline pulled away.
This was the sight that made Fleamont sniffle and bring Euphemia into his side. His two children, standing side by side (he always thought this was the way they'd take over the world) on the precipice of adulthood.
"Plus, if it makes you feel better, I don't think either of us will ever really be grown up," Madeline said, smiling small.
"We're proud of you," Fleamont said after the gentle chuckles had passed, "Of who you are and what you've done and who you will be. What you will do. That goes for all of you, Sirius and Regulus, don't think you get to escape this."
Sirius joined sheepishly but seemed relaxed once beside Madeline. Regulus, however, took more to move. He was sure Fleamont wasn't honest— he'd bonded with his own brother and Madeline, not the Potters as a family.
"What are you waiting for, a formal invitation?" Fleamont asked Regulus with a chuckle, "We'll get to do this all over again next year for you, sir, but its these three's last time!"
"Reggie looks enthralled with the idea of this happening over again," Madeline laughed, pulling Regulus under her arm. He frowned, as he had to bend down to fit, but accommodated nonetheless. "We should go, or we'll miss the train."
"Be safe, and don't do anything stupid!"
"That's all we do!"
ϟ
"Look what the cat dragged in."
Bluebelle Walters had a grin that stretched across her entire face. While Madeline had let her hair grow out and take its curl, Bluebelle had chopped her shoulder-length. The summer had been kind to the girl, tanning her skin to a healthy glow, and she looked happier than ever.
