Chapter 8
━━━━━━━━ ✥ ━━━━━━━━
There was one thing Adhara would never admit about herself, and that was that she was a rather stubborn person. When she got something in her head, she followed through until the end. It came in handy sometimes, she thought. But Yaritza assured her that it wasn't. It did more damage than it did any good.
Her stubbornness was what pushed her to practice Quidditch over the summer, refusing to get off her broom until she stopped falling. It was what gave her the courage to face Matron at the end of June to ask if she could visit Harry.
But right now, it was what kept her from talking to her friends to sort all this out.
Her patience was coming to an end, and everything around her was starting to make her more and more irritated. She went to the forest more often, barely showed up to meals, opting to sneak into the kitchens instead. She only came to the dorms to sleep, sparing no glance at any of her roommates, and it was getting on Millicent's nerves.
She had enough of watching the girl roam around the halls, expression more dark than ever, which made the first years, and even some third years run the other way. You could practically see the dark cloud that loomed over her head. So Millie did what she did best.
She used her fists.
Millicent waited for Adhara at the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room, right where everyone could see her. She wasn't one to sneak around to get things done. It wasn't her forte. And either way, Adhara would notice her if she tried to hide.
So she stood right at the door, catching Adhara off guard enough for her to halt for a second. Millicent didn't bother to explain herself. She stalked up to her friend, punching her at the shoulder hard enough to further startle her. The blonde then took advantage of Adhara's bewildered state and dragged her by the arm.
She was much stronger than Adhara, so the latter didn't even try to break loose. She followed her to wherever it was Millie was dragging her, although it was very much against her will.
"What are you doing?"
"I told you you were going to tell me about this one day."
Adhara rummaged through her brain to remember where she heard that before. "This isn't that. It's something else entirely."
"But it is something. And you are going to tell us about it."
"Us?"
"Yes. Us."
━━━
"What are you doing here? It's past curfew!"
Adhara wasn't even surprised when the infirmary came into view. She only sighed and braced herself for whatever long conversation she was in for.
"No need to fret. Madam Pomfrey won't come near here tonight. She'll be at the teachers' quarters."
"What?"
"Yup. She told me. She knew my mother, apparently."
"She knew my father too, technically," Adhara mumbled despite herself.
Mille threw her a glare. "She was her apprentice."
"Oh."
"Oh."
━━
Adhara was resting her arms on the metal edge at the foot of the hospital bed, trying her best to avoid both girls' eyes. Hermione was doing better, she noticed. Her nose no longer resembled the one of a cat, and her whiskers were nowhere to be seen. The only irregular thing about her appearance was the slight orange fur that crept out of her sleeves.
Millicent made room for herself right next to Hermione, stretching her legs out on top of the sheets and getting comfortable. She waited for either of her friends to start talking, yet the silence stretched on, no one making an attempt to cut it.
She shoved an elbow into Hermione's side, making her yelp. The sound caught Adhara's attention.
"What?" she hissed.
Millie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I didn't do anything wrong, you two are the ones fighting. Adhi's just too stubborn to talk to anyone."
Adhara looked away again.
Hermione started to bite her fingernails, making Millie eye her in disgust. She pushed her hand away from her mouth.
"Why are you angry, anyway?" she asked Adhara.
The girl replied, but didn't bother to look at them, "Hermione's smart enough to figure it out."
Millie looked back at her. Hermione's hands were still in the blonde's grasp, so she couldn't bring her thumbnail to her teeth. She bit her lip instead. Closing her eyes with a sigh, she decided to just be done with it and spoke. "She's angry because I suspected Draco."
"I gathered that much, but it still doesn't explain anything."
"It was more so the reason why I suspected him."
"What do you mean? He's a bloodpurist prick, what other reason is there?"
"He's a pureblood Slytherin."
Millie let go of Hermione's hands. "Oh."
"Yeah."
Adhara gripped tightly onto the railing.
"I don't have an excuse. I didn't even realize what I was doing wrong. I'm sorry."
Millicent didn't know what to say for a second. She looked down at her lap. "So that's why Adhi asked if we were next on the list."
Hermione sat up more straight. "You guys were never even considered. There isn't even a list! It was always only Draco!"
"Because he's a Slytherin?"
"Because he's been calling me a mudblood since the moment I stepped foot into this castle!"
Millie went quiet. Adhara turned her head towards Hermione, finally giving them her attention.
Hermione swiped a hand over her mouth, trying to keep her nails out of the way. She sunk into her sheets."It's been worst this year."
"You didn't say."
"You weren't there."
Adhi's mouth snapped shut.
Millie tried to sympathize, attempting to make her feel better. "He calls us that too."
"It isn't the same." She glanced at her friends and saw that she had their complete attention. Hermione let out a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "All my life, I've been pushed aside and made fun of for being different. For looking different. I was either too smart, too dark or too weird. When Professor McGonagall first showed up at our house, I was overjoyed! I thought, finally, I'll have a place where I could fit in!" She paused, finding her next words. "But then I actually came here. And I found out that the magical world is just as intolerant as the muggle one. Instead of being ostracized for the colour of skin, I'm being ostracized for having the wrong blood status."
Adhara's knuckles went white. She squeezed her hand until she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. Malfoy's been taunting and bullying Hermione all year and she didn't even know. She should've known. Adhara remembered how Hermione freaked out when the chamber first opened. Malfoy's snide comments, his constant reminders of her blood status surely made the year even worst. And Adhara wasn't even there.
If it wasn't for her stubbornness. If she wasn't so selfish, such a hypocrite then-
"Adhi, stop that."
She broke out of thoughts, but her grip didn't loosen. Adhara swallowed down, hard. And then blurted out: "I'm sorry too."
Hermione blinked. "For what?"
"For assuming things. This would've been solved ages ago if I had just-"
"-talked? Didn't ignore us?" Millie finished for her.
"Yes," she admitted, "something like that."
Hermione eyes Adhara closely, examining her expression. She looked as if she knew exactly what she was thinking, and Adhara was willing to bet that she did.
"This isn't your fault, you know."
"It might as well be. I should've been there."
Hermione stared for a second too long, taking in her words. She then scoffed and shook her head. "You're exactly like Harry," she decided, making Millie burst into a laugh, and made Adhi look confused, yet somewhat offended.
Mione only grinned.
━━
Adhara and Millicent switched places. The dark-haired Slytherin now sat beside Hermione, although on a chair and not on the bed. She clutched onto Hermione's hand.
Millicent placed her legs underneath the sheets this time, legs crossed as to not touch Hermione's. She eyed their joint hand from her spot at the foot of the bed, focusing mostly on Adhara's gloves. She watched as Hermione rubbed a thumb over the silk fabric, sharing the exact same thoughts as her.
Neither of them brought it up, but they knew something was up. This wasn't something Millicent could force out of Adhara. She had to be patient.
━━━━
The next couple of days, Harry tried his best to approach Adhara with the intention to apologize to her. Or, at the very least, talk with her. But the girl was avoiding him like the plague.
She would turn the other way the second she spotted him, even going as far as to take the long way to their classes, risking being late to Transfiguration of all classes. (Arriving late at Potions was also seemingly a bad idea, but they respected McGonagall more than Snape.)
Harry tried his best to corner her, yet she always managed to escape. Adhara seemed to know her way around the castle better than him.
Harry almost wanted to give up. But he was almost just as hard-headed as she was.
━━━━
Adhara sat on one side of the ledge, dangling one of her legs out the open window as the other one rested on the floor inside, keeping her balanced. Millicent sat on the other side, keeping both her legs inside the castle.
"That doesn't look very comfortable."
It wasn't. The window was far higher than the ledge on which they both sat, so Adhara had to stretch her leg high. The uneven edges of the window hurt the back of her knee but bringing it back in would make her look stupid for even trying. So she stubbornly kept it there.
Yaritza was right. Her stubbornness really did do more damage than good. She should stop.
She didn't. Adhara shrugged instead. "Try it for yourself."
"I'm not that flexible."
"It doesn't require flexibility."
"My thighs are too thick."
"You're just looking for an excuse."
"I'm not looking like an idiot."
Adhara glared at her. She heaved her leg back in, pointedly ignoring the pain on her knee.
She was about to try to discreetly rub it with her other leg when Millicent suddenly shoved her shoulder. A bit more forcefully than she wanted to, Adhara assumed. The blonde nudged a chin outside the window, making the girl's attention shift.
She saw what Millicent wanted her to see. The castle was built in such a way that they could see the other corridor through its windows from where they were. A girl with long red hair walked past, obviously trying to be discreet. She seemed short enough to be a first-year, and she was holding a book to her chest.
She was doing a better job than Adhara cared to admit, but unfortunately for her, she didn't expect two Slytherins to catch her in her act. Adhara looked at Millie, who nodded in response. Together, they decided then to spy on Ginny Weasley.
She was faster than either of the second year's anticipated. Her small feet scurrying about more quickly than they could. And the end of the next hallway, Weasley made a sharp turn towards the left. The Slytherins ran up to the intersection, making a left themselves but saw that she was no longer there. She completely disappeared.
Adhara and Millicent exchanged a look, both equally as out of breath and confused. Where could she have gone?
"What are you two doing?"
Millicent jumped, Adhara only turned around.
Ginny Weasley was standing behind them.
How?
"We could ask you the same," replied Millie.
Adhara looked at the redhead, not saying anything. Her arms were crossed and brows furrowed together. Weasley's hair was completely dishevelled, and Adhara could see the layer of shine that covered her forehead. She wasn't holding any books, but Adhara could've sworn she saw her holding something when they were chasing her.
"It's none of your business," the girl glared. Her gaze hardened for a millisecond when her eyes landed on Adhara before she abruptly turned around and walked away.
Millie raised a brow. She looked back at Adhara, but the latter still kept her eyes on the first year. Something about her was off, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. Ginny Weasley was sneaky, that was something she established already at beginning of the year. But there was something about the way she moved about that made her more creepy than the rest of her peers. She was somehow able to tell exactly what was going on around her, without even lifting her eyes from the ground.
Adhara watched her back. She walked with her back straight, which was quite rare for an 11-year-old but not so much for a pureblood. Weasley's hands were clasped behind her back, fingers hooking together. And she didn't raise her feet completely when she walked, sliding them against the floor with each step.
The girl suddenly stopped in her tracks, and glanced back at the duo.
She called out Adhara's name, but the Slytherin didn't react.
"Did you mean it?"
"What?"
"When you said I wasn't evil."
This only further confused Adhara. "What?"
She shook her head, looking away. "Nothing. Never mind."
━━━━
The diary was very plain-looking. Black leather with metal edged into the corners, it didn't do much to protect it. The pages were empty, veering towards a yellow colour, no doubt an indicator of its old age. The only intriguing element was the name carved on the front cover in gold letters.
Tom Marvolo Riddle it read.
Harry didn't know anyone with that name attending Hogwarts. But then again, he hardly ever remembered anyone's name. The diary was old, that much was clear. So perhaps it belonged to a professor? No, there aren't any 'Professor Riddle's here. But maybe it was a hand-me-down.
But if it's so old, why hasn't anyone written anything in it yet?
He was in the common room, all alone. He sat at the table, back at the wall to ensure no one was watching him over his shoulder. Ron and Hermione were both in bed, surely already asleep. Harry waited for them to leave before examining the diary once again.
He didn't mean to hide anything from them but it was almost like second nature to him. Lying and hiding was how he got around back at Privet Drive. He stole the toys Dudley discarded or forgot about, hiding them under the floorboards of his cupboard. He would sneak out during the night and steal food from the back of the fridge when his stomach growled too much.
Hiding kept him safe. He did it without thinking at this point. In fact, Harry did a lot of things without thinking. Which was why he lifted his quill and began to fill in the yellowing pages of the diary.
Then, the diary wrote back.
━━━
Harry always believed the world was divided into two categories. Those who were good, and those who were bad. The Dursleys made it easy to distinguish the two, a clear line separating them.
But Harry should've known better than to judge anything based on his relatives.
Whereas Harry used to be able to pinpoint exactly where the line stood, Adhara showed up this summer and smudged it out with her foot. And then the people on both sides began to shift.
Hagrid now stood somewhere in the middle, and Harry found himself not caring at all about it. He was still Hagrid, too tall for his own good, clumsier than anyone he's ever met, and heart as big as the castle itself. He was still Hagrid, the man who baked him his first birthday cake, the one who brought him to Diagon Alley and the one who bought him an owl with what little coins he had.
The world was no longer divided in two. It was much more complicated than that.
━━━━
The beds at the Gryffindor's dormitories were narrow. It was big enough to fit a seventh-year student and that's it. Leaving almost no space for two people to share it unless they squeezed themselves in.
Though that was no problem for Harry since the mattress engulfed him either way. He was much smaller than a graduating student, and the bed was much bigger than the one he used for 11 years. There was enough space for Ron to join him during the nights he woke up squirming and mumbling under his breath.
It took Ron several attempts to finally convince Harry from using the silencing charm. He ended up giving in halfway through this year when the Weasley decided to stay up all night to make sure Harry didn't have a nightmare out of pure spite.
On those nights, Ron would shake Harry awake, who would then shuffle aside to give his friend some space.
They never really talked about his nightmares, Harry didn't like to. But when he couldn't fall back asleep, they stayed up past dawn and spoke behind a silencio and drawn curtains.
(They always ended up sleeping in the next morning, making them late for class.)
Harry's knees were pulled to his chin. Ron sat in front, evidently trying his best to keep himself awake, but he kept drowsing off, eyes closed and head bumping forward.
Harry didn't like the attention at first. He didn't want to. He didn't need anyone to stay up with him. Harry was perfectly capable of doing so by himself. He's done it before, after all.
But Ron continued, even when Harry insisted he didn't need anyone. The redhead only glared harder and pulled an all-nighter to prove a point. And so the bespectacled boy had no choice but to give in.
Harry couldn't deny that he did appreciate it. But with Adhara showing up to Surrey during the summer, Hermione's constant attentive nature, Millicent's wordless care and Ron's persisting acts, Harry felt like he was drowning in all the care and attention. It was all too much to handle.
He took in a deep breath, and then let it out loudly. Louder than he wanted to apparently because it jolted Ron awake.
"Um? What? Why?"
Harry smiled. "Nothing," he shook his head. "You fell asleep again."
Ron yawned. "Can't hepped it. It's late."
"You can go back to your bed."
"Nope!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to be here."
"And I didn't need to eat three slices of chocolate cake at supper and yet here we are."
"Whatever," he glared.
Ron eyed his friend, paying attention to his drawn-back knees. He tried to find a topic of conversation that would distract him from his nightmares.
"Wanna talk about Quidditch?" he squeaked out. He never said he was good at this.
Harry faced him, his brows creasing together. "Hmm? There's nothing to say? Quidditch's cancelled, remember?"
"Yeah but you still have practice."
"True. Though," he shook his head, "Oliver's mood's been off ever since that day the Slytherins showed up."
"Must've been because of that git then." Ron's expression turned dark at the thought of Malfoy.
It made Harry squirm in his spot. He had a theory, and he wanted to test it.
"Hey, Ron."
Ron looked up.
"Do you hate Malfoy?"
"Of course, he's an arsehole."
Harry tried to figure out how exactly he should word his question. He figured thinking before he spoke did a lot good.
"Is that the only reason?"
"What do you mean?" Ron asked, confused.
"I mean, is there any other reason why you hate him."
He thought it over, although asking himself why they were having this conversation. "Well, he's spoiled and a bloodpurist. And calls Hermione that."
"And?"
"Are there any other reason?"
"I'm asking if," Harry sighed, "if his house comes into factor."
"Oh, yeah. He's a Slytherin after all. Didn't expect any less."
Harry frowned then. "Yeah, alright. Does that mean you hate Adhara then?"
Ron looked down at his lap, licking his lips.
"Do you?"
He brought a hand to his nape. "She hasn't given me a reason to."
Harry didn't say anything more. Honestly, it was the most he could expect from him at this point. But two of the redhead's best friends were friends with Slytherins, so Ron didn't have any other choice but to get over it.
Harry wondered, actually, if he had indeed gotten over it yet.
"Okay, one last question."
Ron glanced up.
"How do you feel about the Black Lake?"
The Weasley hadn't expected that. "What?"
"Gotten over your fear of it yet?"
"I wasn't afraid."
"Alright, but you were wary. So, have you gotten over your weariness?"
"Umm, yeah?" He tilted his head to one side. "I'm pretty sure. We can go visit tomorrow if you'd like."
A smile slowly crept his way to Harry's mouth, staying there this time. He nodded, affirming that he wanted to go tomorrow.
"Brilliant."
━━━━
At some point during the summer, Adhara and Harry bought soda pops from a random corner store. They bought one each, Harry paying this time, and spent the rest of the afternoon in a deserted playground.
Both of them figured out that when they shook the bottle enough, the liquid would start to bubble, slowly building up pressure inside. And if no one opened the bottle to release said pressure, then the liquid would continue to bubble. And bubble and bubble and bubble until eventually, the cap popped, creating a mess that no one would want to clean up.
Adhara felt the inside of her veins bubble. Talking to Hermione and Millicent only made her feel worst, making her realize how hypocritical she's been by not listening to any of them.
It only pushed her more towards the edge, making her more snippy. Perhaps releasing the pressure would be better. At least, that way, the cap wouldn't pop. Adhara decided then tackling the first thing that angered her this year first would be a good place to start.
She eyed the Slytherin quidditch team with ardent fury.
The pitch was visible from where she stood amongst the trees, close to the groundkeeper's hut. Figures clothed in emerald robes flew across from one side to another, and even from her spot she could make out Malfoy's pale bright hair. Her eyes stayed on him for a while, a frown on her lips, and then they flickered from player to player until they landed on Marcus Flint.
Adhara might be angry with Malfoy, but his actions weren't exactly unexpected. She wasn't surprised to learn his father had bought out the team. She was more annoyed with the captain, for actually accepting the bribe.
He risked new brooms for a potential good chaser, and Adhara was going to make him regret his decision.
She mounted the old school broom she stole from the shed, tucking a spare quaffle under her arm. The young witch flew across the grounds and over the trees, reaching just above the players' heads.
Engrossed with the game, they hadn't noticed her yet. She watched Flint bark orders at the students, who ultimately failed to follow correctly. Adhara discreetly flew down beside the captain, catching his attention when she was close enough.
"The fuck are you doing here?"
Adhara didn't bother with a reply, shoving him harshly instead. Flint wobbled, not expecting. She roughly pushed the quaffle in his torso, the action offensive, and then pointed it towards the hoops.
She peered at him one last time, to see his reaction to the challenge.
And then she flew.
She heard the captain's angry shouts from behind her, she spotted Malfoy's bewildered expression when he flew past her. The beaters tried to get her with their bats and later with the bludgers, but Adhara swiftly maneuvered away. She focused her attention on the keeper, who although taken aback by her sudden appearance, was already in position. She assumed it was mostly out of reflex than anything else, but it amused her nonetheless.
Adhara was still able to use the element of surprise to her leverage, throwing the quaffle directly at the keeper. Not at another hoop, not even at any hoops really, but straight at the keeper's chest. The impact caused him to fall back, right through the ring.
The keeper's legs smashed against the metal edge, making him lose his grip on his broom. The broom and the quaffle plummeted to the ground, but he was able to grab onto the metal before he fell himself.
Adhara turned around on her broom, searching for Flint. She found him and saw he was watching his keeper's state with his mouth agape. His eyes flicked to hers.
One of her brows raised, Adhara pointed a finger at Malfoy, and then at herself before bringing her hand back to her broom.
Flint glared.
━━━
Harry watched Adhara throw the quaffle at Blekley (or was it Bletchley?). She saw her approach the team from the stalls, and an idea quickly formed in his head.
He didn't have time to retrieve his nimbus, but the school broom worked fine, and it wasn't as if Harry was going to play anyway. He has one goal and one goal only from this: to end this ridiculous fight they were having.
It was nearing April and the last time they had a proper conversation where they weren't snapping at each other was back in November. He noticed how Adhara started speaking to the girls again, so he thought she might have cooled down enough to actually listen to him.
So he flew up to her.
He was meant to be discreet, but she noticed him right away.
"Adhar-"
She didn't let him finish, speeding past him the minute he opened his mouth.
Harry groaned as he gripped his broom more tightly. This was going to more difficult than he anticipated.
━━
Adhara zoomed past Harry when she noticed him. She could hear him calling out her name, but she pointedly ignored him, flying towards the forest instead.
She knew flying over the forest wasn't allowed. It was dangerous to fly over that many trees, especially for a mere second-year, but Adhara couldn't care less right now. She leaned forward onto her broom to go faster.
"Adhara! Can't you stop for one second!?"
Harry was catching up to her, the extra year on flying he had over her aiding him in that case. He was also more agile on the broom than she was, his seeker skills coming in handy. He managed to catch onto Adhara's sharp turns and faints.
But Adhara was more stubborn than a mule, and she was not willing to give in just yet.
She stopped abruptly, surprising the other second-year in the process.
Harry stopped too, believing Adhara was finally ready to listen. He heaved in a few breaths. "Adhara, I just wan-"
But Adhara didn't wait for him to finish. She sunk down with her broom, flying away from under Harry's nose. Quite literally.
"For Merlin's sake! Adhi!"
Adhara flew back towards the groundkeeper's hut, leaving the forest behind her. She didn't bother to look behind her to check whether Harry was following her or not.
Adhara knew what she was doing. She was running away again. Hiding from her problems, the same way as she hid from her dad's diary. The same way as she avoided her friends for weeks on end only to realize that just talking it out with them would've solved the ordeal ages ago. And maybe, also saved them from getting their feelings hurt.
Adhara came to a halt, right above the hut's roof. She heard more than saw Harry fly up in front of her. The Slytherin kept her eyes on the smoke coming out of Hagrid's chimney, unknowingly refusing to meet Harry's eyes.
"Adhara!" He sounded out of breath.
Adhara didn't feel like talking to him. She knew that the matter would be solved if she just let him explain himself, but she couldn't bring herself to stop being angry. Weeks of pressure had built up, and riling up to Quidditch Captain wasn't enough to subdue it. She was still mad.
Adhara faced away from Harry, only to meet the angry eyes of the groundkeeper himself.
Hagrid stood in the garden patch, bulky arms crossed over his chest and with a stern expression that could rival McGonagall's. Adhara actually floated a few inches back.
"Hagrid!" Harry yelped.
The gamekeeper's forehead creased even more. "Inside the hut. Both ove yeh!"
Adhara saw Harry gulp.
━━
Hagrid's hut was bigger inside than it seemed from the outside, with only the half-giant's size making it look smaller than it actually was. Otherwise, Adhara was certain the house would actually look normal. Harry, Hermione and Ron visited the place quite often, but this was the first time Adhara's been over.
Harry and she looked like two kids being reprimanded, with the way both stood side by side whilst the groundkeeper looked down at them from what Adhara assumed was the dining table. Even sitting down, the man was way taller than average.
"Now, ey hope ey don't need to explain to ye both that what ye two just did was very dangerous and reckless, eh?"
Harry shook his head. As gentle and clumsy as Hagrid may be, the only times the man ever got angry was when Harry and his friends put themselves in danger. He always sported a disappointed look whenever they did, and one did not want to disappoint Hagrid. Which is why Harry normally hid such facts from the key keeper, deciding that he didn't need to know what wouldn't hurt him. Though, this was the first time Hagrid actually caught him in the act.
Adhara blew out a slow breath, clearly annoyed by the situation. She refused to let any of it show on her face, though, keeping it as impassive as she did normally. She ignored the other two occupants (three if you counted the dog) of the hut, determinedly keeping her gaze elsewhere.
Hagrid narrowed his eyes. "Is there anythin ye wanted to say, Adhara?"
The mention of her name caught her off guard. She looked back at the half-giant, brows knitted together. "How do you know my name?"
The gamekeeper's mouth quirked up, forming a smile, but the concern that pinched his eyebrows still lingered. He gestured towards Harry with his chin. "Talks about ye non stop this one. Hermione too."
Adhara stilled, slowly closing her mouth. She wiped her sweaty hands over her robes only to remember she had her gloves on at the last moment. Her fingers grazed along her palm a few times before she dared to spare Harry a glance, only to realize his ears had turned an alarming shade of red. Adhara's brows rose up.
"It's only because she's been annoying me lately," he mumbled out.
The girl in question scoffed. "I'm the one who's being annoying? Right."
Harry grumbled out a few words. "Yes, you are. You're not even trying to listen to me. I've been trying to talk to you for days, and all you do is run away!"
"What exactly do you want me to hear from you? I'm not interested in listening to your rants about how evil my House is."
Hagrid stood from his chair, his hands raised up "Calm yerselves first. One atta time. This has been goin on for far too long."
"How do you know that?"
"Hermione," he simply informed, smiling.
"If she could just listen to me-"
"I'm not interested in what you have to-"
"I wanted to apologize to you!"
Adhara blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Harry let out an exasperated sigh. "Since when were you so stubborn?"
Adhara glared. "Look who's talking. You're the one set on catch-"
"Stop! Ey said one atta time, didn't ey?" He grabbed a bowl from the table and extended it towards the two. "No need ter get so riled up, yeh two! How 'bout some rock cake? Ey made a new batch jus this mornin'!"
Harry's mouth stretched out into a mischievous smile as an idea popped in his head. "Why don't you offer Adhara some? She never tried them before."
From beside him, he could feel Adhara eye him suspiciously.
"Of course, of course! Here ye go, Adhara!"
A bit uncertain, she wanted to refuse, but one look at Hagrid's expecting eyes, and she gave in. She picked one up from the bowl, still a bit unsure. Harry was eyeing her expectantly, so she was sure there was a catch, but she also couldn't just put it back now. It surely couldn't be that bad, right?
One bite later, and Adhara realized that it could. She glared at Harry, one side of her mouth full of hardened cake and held onto the other side of her jaw. The boy only grinned at her back.
"So? How is it? Ey thought ey may hav' overcooked 'em bit, but they shouldn't be too bad!"
Adhara only nodded in response, chewing slowly. Fortunately, Hagrid understood that she wasn't a person of many words and seemed satisfied with her answer. He turned around to put away the pastries, which Adhara took as the opportunity to spit out the content of her mouth. She took it into her palm and hurled it right at Harry's head.
"Ew! What the-"
━━
Adhara marched back up the hill on her way back to the castle. Harry quickly followed her trail.
"You're still mad at me."
She didn't answer.
"Look, I really am sorry." She heard him inhale a deep breath. "Could you please just list-"
Adhara abruptly turned around, finally properly facing him. He was standing on the lower portion of the hill, making him look shorter than her, but she noticed back at the hut that he had gotten taller than her, even though they were right around the same height last summer. Has it really been that long?
"What do you want me to hear, Harry? If it weren't for the fact that my birth mother was a muggle then, alongside Malfoy, you'd think that I too-"
"No, I wouldn't! I never did, and no," he stopped her before she could interrupt, "I wouldn't have either if you were pureblood. I didn't mean what I said that day by the lake."
"Of course, you did, or else you wouldn't have blurted it out-"
"No. I-I wasn't thinking straight, I just. I was just angry, and I said the first thing that would win me the argument. I didn't mean any of it."
Adhara stayed silent, allowing him to finish what he wanted to say.
Harry reached for the hem of his shirt, fiddling with it as he did all the time. "I suspected Malfoy because he's a blood purist prick, but you're right. Him being a pureblood and a Slytherin did make it easier to suspect him, even if I didn't realize it." He wasn't looking at her, keeping his eyes on his shirt as he continued to play with the edge. "I was wrong, though."
Adhara took a step back, clenching and unclenching her fists repeatedly, which caught Harry's attention. He smacked her hand to stop her.
"Stop doing that."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I just now have to live with the fact that you don't always mean what you say."
"You aren't exactly any easier. Do you have any idea hard it is to guess what you're thinking? You don't even speak that much!"
"Well. I guess we should count ourselves lucky that Hermione's good at reading people."
"Ron's very persistent too."
"And Millicent's forceful."
Harry nodded. "It works out."
"It works out."
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