In His Shadow (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 18- Padfoot

“Don’t say anything rude about my brother, Hermione or the Weasleys again, alright?”

Zach stood up,

“At the moment it doesn’t seem like you fit in anywhere, Potter. You’re not acting like a Slytherin. You’re not in Gryffindor with your weasel friends. Where do you properly fit in?”

With that, the three of them walked away to their dormitories.

I checked to see if anyone else was in the common room, before letting the tears spill onto my cheeks. Why did they have to be so horrid? Couldn’t they just let me do what I wanted to do?

A sob escaped my lips, and I put my head in my hands.

“Ava? Are you alright?”

I looked around the room. No one was in here. Who had just said that?

I jumped when I saw a head in the fire. I looked closer and realised who it was. I whispered,

“Hello Sirius.”

He frowned,

“Are you okay?”

I nodded,

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just finishing my homework for Potions. How long have you been there, anyway?”

“Long enough to see your fellow housemates be rude to you.”

I shrugged,

“Oh. Don’t worry about it, Sirius.”

He raised an eyebrow,
“Ava, you were crying. I got your letter this morning. I can tell you’re not happy.”

I sighed,

“Being at Hogwarts isn’t what I expected. I’ve been put in Slytherin. I’m struggling in most subjects. I barely talk to my own brother.”

“Things will get better, don’t worry. You’ve only been at Hogwarts for a week. You just need to show how tough you are. Don’t let Malfoy bully you into doing anything. Try and talk to Harry as much as possible. Spend time with Fred. Make sure to study hard. Then maybe you’ll begin to feel a bit happier.”

I wiped the tears away,

“Thanks Sirius. You probably shouldn’t stay in the fire for much longer. If someone sees you…”

“I know. I’ll try and write to you. Now have a good sleep.”

I stood up,

“Goodnight Sirius.”

I picked up my Potions essay and walked over to the dormitory. As I got ready for bed, I thought of Sirius.

It was kind of him to check up on me. It was just embarrassing that he’d seen my cry.

I climbed into bed and pushed my head into the soft pillow. After a couple of minutes, I fell into a calm, nightmare free sleep.

*                    *                    *

My eyes fluttered open, and I let out a big yawn. I could hear voices in the common room, so it was probably time to get out of bed. I slipped my robes on and quickly plaited my hair. It seemed to have grown longer since the beginning of the summer holidays.

I made my way towards the Great Hall. When I got there, I noticed Harry standing by the doors. I grinned,

“How are you feeling?”

He rubbed his forehead,

“I’m okay, I suppose. I spoke to Padfoot last night.”

I recognised Sirius’ name,

“Me too. I’m just glad someone else didn’t see him.”

He nodded,

“Yeah. Anyway, I should probably get going. Hermione is waving at me.”

I smiled,

“See you around.”

I sat down at the Slytherin table and bit into a piece of toast. Zach eyed me cautiously,

“You look happy.”

I rolled my eyes,

“Am I not even allowed to be happy anymore? That’s just stupid.”

Eleanor glared at me, but I just ignored her. I wasn’t going to let her or Zach or anyone ruin my good mood.

The bell rang, and with Sirius’ words still fresh in my mind, I walked to Charms.

Zach grabbed onto my sleeve,

“Hey! Don’t walk so fast, Potter.”

I shrugged,

“Why not?”
“Eleanor and I thought you were running off to meet Fred.”

I shook my head,

“Do you think I’d have time to go and meet him? We have Charms first thing!”

He sighed,
“We’re just checking up on you, like we’ve been told.”

I clenched my teeth, and tried not to let Zach and Eleanor ruin my good mood.