Unrelenting Fate: A Marauders Era AU

Chapter 9

One of the great joys in life was books.

They possessed the power to transport a reader from the boring gray world they lived into a wonderous new adventure that could fill the soul with bright colors and vivid imaginations of the mind.

When Adelaide was little, she would spend hour after hour in her family's vast library with her nose stuck in a large tome.

Something very few people knew about her was that even tho her parents and brothers were Half-Blood Wizards and Witches, she was indeed a Muggle-Born.

When she was eight years old, her biological parents left her on the streets in a small village in Scotland.

The reason being that they could not, and would not, deal with her magical abilities.

Fletcher Harthwood had found her one day after he had finished a Quidditch match and taken her home with him.

Viomet Harthwood had immediately mothered the small girl making sure their three young sons behaved themselves around her.

The eldest boy, Luis, quickly obsessed over making sure that she had everything she wanted; sweet treats tucked under her pillow, fluffy wool socks that were too small on him but just right on her, and all the Quidditch Illustrateds he could find under his bed.

The second boy, Phillip, meticulously made sure she had everything she needed; a comfortable enough pillow on her bed, a good breakfast, all the Quidditch Illustrateds he could find under his bed.

The youngest boy, Collier, didn't give her a single copy of Quidditch Illustrated.

Instead, he taught her how to read, how to fly, and how to allow herself to believe that they were her family now.

Collier didn't want to make her feel suffocated by the amount of attention she received; he made sure she was okay.

When her first year at Hogwarts came along, Collier didn't worry and fret over her like Luis; he didn't tell her how to make friends and to stay away from the Slytherins as Phillip did.

No, he just smiled and patted her little shoulder, telling her that no matter what house she landed in, they would love her the same.

When the Sorting Hat called out, "RAVENCLAW!" Adelaide swore she heard Collier cheering for her from the Gryffindor table.

By the time she was in her fourth year at Hogwarts, all three of her brothers had graduated and gone to play Quidditch for teams all around Europe.

But Colli still wrote her a note every other week, detailing stories of where he was playing this time or what one of his teammates had done that was stupid.

And so, as Adelaide sat at a table by a window that looked out to the Forbidden Forest in the library, she re-read the newest letter her brother had sent.

He was in Egypt and wrote that he disliked the sand very much.

She smiled and let out a very un-lady-like snort at his description of how a camel bit his teammate, Lennox, on the butt.

"What are you finding fun enough to disregard the library rules?" Someone asked from behind her.

"Lily, you startled me!" Adelaide breathed out, pressing a hand to her rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry," Lily chuckled softly with a wide smile on her pretty face.

"No, you are not," Adelaide glared, but they both knew she was amused.

"So, what are you reading? A love letter from a secret admirer?" The Gryffindor girl asked with a curious smirk.

"Merlin, no! Just a note from Collier," Adelaide barely held in her laughter.

"Where is he now?"

"Egypt."

"That sounds wonderful compared to the gray weather we are having right now. Merlin, I hate the Scottish cold sometimes!" Lily complained with a pout.

Adelaide nodded in agreement even though she lived in Carnach, a little village in upper Scotland with her family.

That didn't mean she had to like their weather.

"Lily, I have a question for you," Adelaide said, pushing her unruly strawberry hair out of her face.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Have you thought about if you're going to take anyone to the Halloween Ball this year? I know Amos took you last year, but he did graduate."

It had been near a week since Severus had asked for her help in asking Lily to the ball, and she figured that she might as well start prying.

She liked Sev and thought he and Lily deserved each other.

The Gryffindor girl looked only slightly startled by the question.

"That's still a month or so away."

"Never hurts to be prepared."

"No, I haven't thought about asking anyone. Potter has asked me several times already, but I've turned him down each time," Lily said with a roll of her green eyes.

Adelaide bristled at this.

"You wouldn't go with him, would you?"

"Godric, no! Ugh, that toerag is only good for bringing on a migraine!" Lily sighed.

"We can agree on that!"

"What about you? Anyone catching your eye?"

"No. Besides, I will probably end up going with Alexander and secretly making fun of the year's fashion choices," Adelaide said with a shrug.

"What about Della?"

"For the last few days, she and Peter have been quite close, so I do not doubt that they will be going together."

"Peter Pettigrew? Shy little Peter? With Della?" Lily asked in bewildered excitement. "Oh, that's just wonderful. I can see them together quite well!"

"They are very cute. I've never seen Della blush so much as when Peter is around!"

Lily cooed at this.

"You know, if you want someone to go with, you should ask Severus," Adelaide said while looking back down at her brother's letter.

"Sev would never want to go with me!"

"Why not?"

"Well ... we're best friends, and it would make him feel weird."

"Would it make you feel weird?" Adelaide asked.

Lily didn't answer she just looked deep in contemplation.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, she spoke again.

"No, I don't think it would," She muttered.

"Well, then there you go!" Adelaide smiled at her friend.

"Plus, if I were to ask Sev to go with me, that would get Potter off my tail!" Lily beamed at this thought.

"It's a win-win situation!"

"Brilliant! I'm going to ask Sev right now! Oh, now I might actually have some fun at the ball this year!" Lily said excitedly as she stood from the table and began to shove her books into her bag.

"Good luck then," Adelaide said with a slight smirk on her face.

"Thanks, Addie! Bye now!" Lily called over her shoulder as she rushes out of the library, leaving the Ravenclaw to nod with satisfaction to herself.