"We're going to need all the help we can get."
Remus stood tall at the head of the dusty table stationed in the dimly-lit room of 12 Grimmauld Place. His fingers tightly latched onto the back of the chair he was standing behind.
"And where do you ex...
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F E B R U A R Y 1996
"Harry is far from stupid, Sirius." Adelaide swirled a spoonful of honey around in the steaming mug of tea sitting before her. "If Dumbledore thinks it's good for Severus to teach him Occlumency, then there is probably nobody better for the job."
"When Snivellous is involved, there is always someone better for the job."
"Stop that." Adelaide kicked Sirius' shin beneath the table. "You have to start leaving the past in the past."
"Adelaide is right, you know." Remus entered the sitting room, a large book in hand.
Last week was the full moon. It had been a tough one, even with the fresh batch of wolfsbane courtesy of Adelaide. Remus had a fresh scar on the side of his neck. Wounds created by a werewolf changed under the light of the full moon were unable to be healed. Properly, atleast.
Adelaide was able to scrounge together ingredients for a salve that would help minimize the redness and thickness of the scarring – to which Remus was extremely grateful.
"Thank you, Remus. I'm glad someone sees me for what I truly am." Adelaide smirked, setting down the spoon on her napkin once all of the honey melted off. Taking a sip and relishing in the warmth slipping down her throat, Adelaide looked up to see Sirius smirking right back.
"And what are you, Ms. Corden?" Sirius questioned, raising a brow as he leaned back in the chair and watched her.
"A bloody genius, that's what." She told him with a laugh.
"I wouldn't go that far." Remus teased, laughter also escaping his lips as he poured himself a cup of tea before joining them at the table.
With all that has been going on in the wizarding world, it was nice to have some sense of normalcy. Adelaide loved nothing more than sitting around the dining room table with Sirius and Remus, joking about silly things – sometimes serious things. If they couldn't make light about serious things, what could they joke about?
"Well..." Adelaide cleared her throat, "Poppy sent me a letter."
"Madam Pomfrey?" Sirius spoke up with a smile. "I didn't know you kept in touch."
"How's she doing?" Remus questioned. He was grateful for Madam Pomfrey also helping him out during his year of teaching at Hogwarts.
"She's doing well." Adelaide nodded, "She's told me a bit about Dolores Umbridge and how much of a bloody nightmare she is. I'm sure her letter mirrors the stories Ron and Harry told you over Christmas." She sighed softly. Hogwarts sounded like a walking nightmare. Adelaide was thanking the gods, or whoever was up above, that she was no longer a student.
"Umbridge sounds like a tightly wound bitch." Sirius muttered beneath his breath, shuddering at the thought of what his godson and his friends were dealing with under her regime.
