As the day waned and classes unfolded, Adelaide felt a growing unease about her impending meeting with Sirius. Well, It wasn't apprehension about meeting him as a person; rather, it was a concern about the intentions behind his sudden invitation.
Adelaide hasn't spent a lot of time in this age nor did she spend enough time with Sirius to know him properly, but it seemed long enough to notice all the signs that Sirius definitely didn't invite her for tea and biscuits. Her assumptions were already built around their first meeting and occasional glances towards him on her first official day at Hogwarts. However, it wasn't difficult for Adelaide to notice that Sirius was quite different from both the people she knew in the past and the people she knows now.
While to most, Sirius might look like the perfect example of a Gryffindor, Adelaide knew better. The boy was of course, courageous, brave and he certainly acted before he thought, all which are common traits amongst Gryffindor students.
Adelaide however, knew there was a reason why his whole family had been sorted into Slytherins for generations, and she doubted Sirius was much different from them. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all. For so far Adelaide had found out that Sirius had quite the cunning and ambitious character.
Adelaide didn't have any solid evidence of this accusation, and while she might have noticed that Sirius was basically a stark contrast to Headmaster Black, However, she count help the feeling nagging feeling inside her gutt, telling her that Sirius didn't want to meet with her due to the great justness of his heart.
However she agreed to meet him not just because of her three roommates nagging and glares, but because to her, Sirius was an enigma.
It was hard to notice at first, but after a few curious glances and observations, Sirius' character had many loose threads that made little to no sense. For instance, why would the first born son of an esteemed pure-blooded family like the Blacks try to suppress and conceal that side of himself?
Most children from pure-blooded families wouldn't even dare to think of defiling their parents. Sirius on the other hand, had decided to do the exact opposite of every value that his family stood for.
For instance, it was no secret that the most noble and most ancient house of Black considered themselves to be aking to royalty, and their family motto, Toujours pur, reflected their views of themselves and their disdain on muggles, and yet rumours say that Sirius had not only befriended muggleborns but also dated one.
But it wasn't just his relationship with muggleborns nor the strange occurrence of a main-branch Black being sorted into the house of Godric Gryffindor that had captured her curiosity about him. Apparently Sirius was a major rule breaker and he had received multiple howlers just this month.
When Adeladie first heard all about these she couldn't believe any of it, if it was true, then Sirius Black was hanging on a tight line to be disowned, if he already had not been.
But there was another thing that piqued her curiosity.
It was common knowledge that children of pure-blooded and pristine families had a strict list of rules on how they should, talk and behave in different situations. Adelaide was one of these children, and therefore it wasnt difficult for her to notice that Sirius had without a doubt gone through similar, if not harsher tutoring than her.
White it's barely noticeable to the naked eye of most children from this date, who held little to no common courster. But contrary to them, Adelaide was taught her manners from a very young age. She had to sit quietly, look pretty, and consequently to these rules, Adelaide had become an amazing observer. And observe she did, for she didn't even have to struggle to notice the way Srius oppressed his manners.
The way it looked like he was consciously suppressing his courtesy, by talking loudly and with small amounts of food still being chewed inside his mouth, but Adelaide noticed the way he looked disgusted whenever his friends did the same things,
It looked like he was trying his best to do everything he was thought not to do, but some of the lessons clearly got drilled into his mind, without any way out.
One of the most noticeable things that screamed of Sirius being a part of the sacred 28, was his posture. The boy stood tall, carrying his back straight. His head was held high, and the smirk on his face showed slight arrogance. And lastly, his shoulders were pulled so far back that his chest constantly looked like his lungs were filled with fresh air. It was a posture that made an aurora of confidence and charm surround the boy.
If Adelaide's mother ever saw Sirius posture then she would only need to use one word to describe it: Perfect.
But it wasn't just his posture that screamed that the boy had great manners, no. It was the way he carried his words, clear and always with meaning, it was the way he held a feather when he wrote, it was the way he always used a napkin to clean his face after eating, it was the small things that most people don't notice.
Adelaide would pounder longer on the subject longer, if it wasn't for the fact that her last class had just ended, and the two had agreed to meet in the common room right after it, and right at this moment professor Sprout, the herbology teacher, announced the closure of today's class.
Professor Sprout quickly repeated a shortened version of today's class, and told everyone that they should study more in their free time if they are interested in getting a high grade in their O.W.L's.
Now that the class was over, and the mandrakes were transferred to a different pot, Adelaide, alongside everyone else, finally got to put their earmuffs off.
"Adelaideee" Marlene called to her with a smirk on her face the moment she noticed Adelaide could hear her "You know what time is it?"
"It's time for you to finally let it go Marls" Dorcas sighted and gave Adelaide a pitying look,
"C'mon don't be rude!" With a scoff, Marlene picked up her things and then gave Adelaide a little nudge "She's just jealous that Sirius wants to meet up with you rather than her"
"No I'm not!" Dorcas said offended and crossed her arms "I'm just worried for you Adelaide. Sirius doesn't have a great reputation considering girls"
"What do you mean by that?" Adelaide said as she turned her complete attention towards Dorcas.
"He is the school playboy" Dorcas whispered to Adelaide, but Adlaide simply scrunched her eyebrows together and looked at Dorcas in confusion. "You know, the school's womaniser, ladies man, flirt, you get me?"
Hesitantly, Adelaide nodded as she got back to packing her school supplies back into her bag. The warning she got from Dorcas gave her much to think about, and she was wondering if it was really a good idea to meet up with Sirius.
"Why do you guys suppose he wants to meet with me?" Adelaide asked, she was well aware that she barely knew Sirius, while the girls had known him for five years now. "He barely knows me, would he really meet up with such motives?"
'Is it alright for me to meet with him' Adelaide didnt ask the true question lingering in her thoughts. She didnt know much about the present courting rules, so she wondered if it was really allright for her to meet up with a young man with possible intentions of courting her.
"Don't listen to Dorcas, dear Adelaide" Marlene slung her arm around Adelaide's neck and smiled up at her, almost as if she was sensing her worries "You will be the one to put out dear little Sirius in place"
Adelaide nodded hesitantly once more, and then she looked towards Dorcas for her opinion once more.
"Sirius has been in many relationships before you Adelaide. " Dorcas let out a breath as she spoke seriously. "While it's possible he might change, since you're fresh fish, but I wouldn't count on that too much. Be careful alright, so you don't end up getting yourself hurt by him"
"Don't listen to Dorcas" Marlene butted in, and took one last look at Adelaide as she spoke once again. "Adelaide, there might be some truth in Dorcas' words, but that doesn't mean anything. Go have fun all right? Well see you later tonight"
"Wait, you aren't going with me?" Adelaide asked, taken aback.
"Of course we aren't, dummy" Lily laughed with her eyes closed and patted her hand on Adelaide' shoulder "This is your chance to get to know Sirius better on a more personal level"
"If you know what we mean '' Marlene added with a smirk as her eyebrows went in a teasing, up and down motion.
'How could I not have realised this sooner', Adelaide thought as her eyes widened at the realisation that the girls were trying to get Adelaide and Sirius to court. It was so painfully obvious, yet somehow she managed to ignore all the signs. How could this have happened?
"Don't be late now!" Marlene finally said, and pushed Adelaide out the classroom door and in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, at the smae time she took Lily' and Dorcas hand, and ran off in the opposite direction. Adelaide had no chance to reply as Marlene yelled out a loud "Have fun!", which she could barely hear amongst the charter of the other students walking out of class.
Alice, who was suprisingly quiet, simply gave Adelaide a suportive smile and raised her thumbs, before she walked the same direction as the rest of their roommates, and left Adelaide alone-
With a knowing sight and one last look back, at the disappearing figures of her new friends, Adelaide walked toward her looming meeting with Sirius Black.
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It was only after breakfast and as the day passed by, that Sirius started considering that perhaps meeting up with Adelaide Silverwood and using her for information about James might've not been one of his brightest ideas.
He and James still didn't go back to normal, which to be frank, pissed Sirius off, however James finding out that Sirius used his cousin might make things a bit worse than they are now.
The marauders had argued with each other many times before, this wasn't anything that new to them. However, they always made up the same day, and this time wasn't supposed to be different. Yet it was, because James couldn't put it past himself to stop whining and complaining about problems that aren't even that deep, which was so unlike the James that Sirius had known for years.
Sirius wanted their relationship to get back to normal, he really couldn't handle the glares he received from James. James was his escape from reality, he was his escape from what awaited Sirius outside of Hogwarts inside Grimmauld Place 12. Sirius didn't want to screw up their relationship, like he screwed up everything else.
He knew that if James found out that Sirius planned to use Adelaide then James would be mad, but what choice did he have?
Whenever he approached James and tried to talk to him about what happened, James simply turned around and didn't listen to any of the words Sirius was trying to say, which also may or may not have agitated Sirius even more, and make him say some words he doesn't really mean.
Long story short, Sirius knew that Adelaide was the only way he could find out what was happening to James, and he was willing to risk another argument with him, if that meant getting his best friend back.
Either way, Sirius had been waiting for Adelaide in the common room for a few hours now, since he had decided to skip herbology today, since he didn't know if he would be able to sit next to James without staring at him for the whole lesson. And either way, herbology wasn't a subject he cared enough about to attend.
The time passed by slowly as Sirius was waiting for Adelaide at the couch, looking into the warm hues of the fireplace in front of him. Whilst waiting, Sirius was still thinking about his situation with James, and how Adelaide could possibly be connected to it all. Sirius was so lost deep in thoughts, that he only noticed someone sitting next to him when the sofa bulged ever so slightly down.
Looking to his right, Sirius' eyes widened slightly in surprise, as he noticed who sat down next to him. before they quickly turned half lidded as his mouth curled into a smirk. "And who do we have here?"
"I don't know Black" Adelaide replied with a chuckle as she gave the boy a small smile and shrugged her shoulders "You tell me"
"Adelaide" Sirius looked up and down. He let out an airy laugh through his nose, and then his tone turned a notch darker as he looked at her through closed eyelids "Please call me Sirius"
This time it was Adeladies turn to be surprised, as her eyes widened and cheeks coloured at the implication of the boy's words. They had barely known each other and he was proposing for her to call him by his first name. Adelaide had some difficulty in adjusting to her new roommates openness, but they were girls, so it wasn't all that uncommon. But this was something completely different. A young boy proposing to use a first name basis with a lady he just met. Considering Sirius' reputation, this could only mean one thing.
"I'm honoured that you think this of me Black, but I'm not interested in courting you" Adelaide said in a monotone voice, and she scanned Srius' face intently, awaiting for his reaction to the rejection
"What?" Was all that Sirius could say before he let out a small series of chuckles "I don't want to court you, who even says courting nowadays" Sirius added taken aback, as he kept on laughing. "With the way you speak, I could probably mistake you for the portrait of my grandmother"
Adelaide on the other hand, wasn't even able to let out a breath of relief, as embarrassment crept up the back of her neck. Her cheeks turned even more red, and Adelaide looked in the opposite direction of Sirius, "Then why did you want for us to be on a first name basis? '' Adelaide muttered so quietly that Sirius was barely able to cough onto her words.
"Because I would love to hear my given name leave your red lips rather than my accursed family name" Sirius said softly with a chuckle, as he carefully put his hands on Adeaide's cheek, and made her face towards him. "Say my name, Adelaide," Sirius whispered to her. The air leaving his lips hitting her face.
The sudden change in atmosphere made Adeladie become painfully aware of how close the two of them were sitting. The proximity alone was most likely making her mother turn inside her grave, let alone the conversation they were having. But let's be honest, Adelaides mother would probably be ecstatic if Adelaide was to marry a Black.
"I-, uhm" Adelaide choked on her words and she tried to look anywhere but the nearing eyes of Sirius, which were only a few centimetres away from her. Once again, Sirius was looking Adelaide up and down, but this time his eyes wandered between her own eyes and her lips.
The fireplace, their proximity, and lets not forget Sirius' large hand on her cheek, were starting to make her insides burn up. Using the only air left in her lungs, Adelaide was able to whisper a single sentene without stuttering "Why I'm I here, Black?"
Sirius lifted a brow, and the smirk never left his face, as he pulled back away from Adelaide and let out an airy laugh. "You're a tough nut to crack Adelaide, has anyone ever told you that before?"
Adelaide, who was still left confused about what had just happend had no time to compose herself and reply to his question, as Sirius quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her up gently from the burgundy coloured sofa. "Let's get going before it gets too late"
A/N:
This chapter was getting kind of long, so I decided to "cut-it" into two parts. Therefore we will see the continuation of Sirius plans of charming Adelaide into confessing her secrests in the next chapters.
As always, Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Dont be shy to leave a comment about your thoughts, reactions, questions, or your suggestions. I always love reading your comments!