After what went down with the girls, Adelaide mastered avoiding them at all times. She always got up earlier than Alice and Sarah and at night went back late to their dorms and managed to stay away from all of them. The only one of them who Adelaide saw actively trying to speak to her and catch her was Lily, but Adelaide asked Remus to sit with her whenever they classes with Gryffindors, since she wasn't really welcome with her friends anymore and Remus was the one who actually gave her this idea. At first Adelaide felt guilty, taking him away from his friends, but when she told her concern to him he answered: "What are friends for?" And Adelaide appreciated that.
Some days Severus and Lily would catch up to her, Adelaide would ignore Lily, since she felt very guilty about everything, and could still remember her shocked and frightened face after she lost control. She was perhaps the only one who truly defended her, so she felt angry at herself, so Severus respected her wish for him to not find her with Lily by his side, since she really couldn't bear it. So Severus would sometimes join Adelaide whenever she was with William.
"She really misses you. You need to talk to her, even if you don't want to talk to the others." Severus told her for the 100th time in the last two weeks that had passed.
"Thank you again for telling me this, but no, i rather not." Adelaide replied as she angrily put a dot for her "i" in her writing.
"But you must. It is better if you get it done sooner than later, you know, the more you put it off.."
"Adelaide had already made her decision, Severus, don't pressure her into it. Just because it's hurting that mu- Evans, you don't have to force her into this." William exclaimed loudly, with Severus glaring slightly at him.
"Well, i don't how you did your classes when us Slytherins are not with you Ravenclaws in these past two weeks, nearly 3." Severus questioned Adelaide.
"When i was with Hufflepuffs i would sit beside the older brother of Maud, a friend of my sister's and his friends. When it's with Gryffindors i would sit with Remus." With the mention of Remus' name, William's head snapped up.
"You sit with him?" There was an edge to his voice that even shocked Severus.
"I sit with him, because he is my friend and had been nothing but absolutely kind to me these days and before. Besides what would you have me do? Sit beside Somerset?" Severus looked alarmed at her tone.
"Since when had you two gotten closer, and i don't know about it?" Severus gave William a warning look.
"Well, since last year, nothing special that had gotten you riled up. You don't have to know everything about me you know and who i am friends with."
"He didn't want to-" Severus' explanation was interrupted when William replied: "To my knowledge, he is friends with the greatest jerks in school, including Somerset, who is your rival."
"That is his choice, even though he might have some questioning tastes in choosing his friends, i don't judge him and they are loyal to one another. Besides, if i am going to judge anyone, it will be you and Severus' chosen companions, like darling Mulciber. The pot calls the kettle black." Adelaide answered him.
"But-"
"At least none of them are idiotic prejudiced bigots like your friends so stop criticising him. He is a very good boy."
"But isn't my concern valid, Severus?" William looked at Severus to back him up.
"Well, um.." Severus mumbled, but quickly regained his voice. "He is friends with those piece of works, but he is not the worst out of all of them. Actually out of his gang, between him, Potter, Black and Pettigrew, i would choose him too." At William's glare he continued: "But, he is still one of them so yeah. I still don't like him but he is not that horrible as the rest of them."
Adelaide rolled her eyes.
"Lily told me that you also befriended Longbottom, so there it is."
"Oh come on, Dela, if time passes like this, you'll be an honorary member of their group." William looked annoyed at Severus' words.
"Frank is a good boy too, and have you forgotten that Somerset and Longbottom are honorary members of their gang? But yes, i knew his mother from some parties and gatherings and she is a formidable woman and she has raised a good son."
William groaned at her praise of him and Severus' surprise turned to realisation as if something clicked in his brain about his friend's weird behaviour, a smirk formed on his face.
"Well, Dela, would you like to describe William, i suppose he wants to know if he is a good boy too." William turned red and glared at him.
"This idiot that both of us call him our friend, is loving and kind when he wants to be and even though i really want to say that he is annoying, he really doesn't make me angry with his shenanigans. Though he can be very dumb at times and has some backward ideas, i suppose he is getting better. There, there." He now looked like a tomato and Severus was laughing his butt off at his reaction, Adelaide was puzzled by their response.
"Have i said something bad? Why are you so red, is the weather warm?" Adelaide looked confused by them.
"Nope, it's absolutely fine, i'm good." William replied in a quiet tone, looking down at his homework.
"Oh, ok."
After some time, Adelaide spoke up: "I finished my work, so yeah i'll be going. We have transfiguration tomorrow, i need to look at my notes and pre-read again. Bye guys."
"Bye Dela."
"Bye."
When she left, she swore that she heard a punch and someone muttering «ow» and hushed words.
Whatever is wrong with them? Adelaide shook her head and walked to her common room.
................
The next day was anything but good, Adelaide woke up with a headache and felt dizzy like most days. She skipped breakfast, and decided to go for a walk outside and play her Violin before class.
Her first class was transfiguration, with Gryffindors and she wanted to sit beside Remus, but Lily quickly sat beside her and took her wrist and said: "Wether you like it or not, we're going to have a chat, you and i. So you better sit."
Adelaide huffed and because she didn't want to cause a scene as Mcgonagall walked in the room.
"Fine, but that doesn't guarantee my talking to you." Adelaide told her angrily, the first words she had said to Lily in nearly 3 weeks.
"Oh, but you already did."
Adelaide looked away, and listened to her professor, as she had started teaching them already.
They were supposed to turn mice to snuffboxes. Adelaide was the first one to achieve doing so, with Somerset, Alice and Lily following her.
Somerset was able to do that in his second try, since his first time was done incompletely and the snuffbox that he made, had whiskers. Adelaide laughed at him, and he glared at her but said nothing, as Mcgonagall was looking at him at that time.
"Students, i have something to do so i have to go outside for a few minutes, you stay quietly here and don't make any noise before i come back." With that, she left the classroom, closing the door behind her. The first moment afterwards, the class was already filled with shoutings, laughter and talking.
"So, why don't you talk to us anymore?"
"Perhaps it's because i don't want to? Have you thought i just had enough of everyone?"
"Don't lie to me, i know how you look at us sometimes, you miss our company and we- i miss yours too."
"Don't speak on other people's behalf." Adelaide responded.
"Oh, but it's true, Sarah and Alice say that they never really see you at dorm, they are sometimes thinking whether you're sleeping somewhere outside or.."
"Oh, tell them not to worry, i am not that desperate to cut out of my comfort due to some silly spat."
"They are worried you know, Marlene, she has never been so regretful and had changed significantly since your confrontation. Mary too. She is much more sympathetic to other people now and doesn't talk nonsense about them anymore."
"Ok."
"Adelaide, why don't you let me in? You are clearly hurting. If you only just tell me what's going on... i can see your mental health is not good, you are also neglecting your physical health as well. You need help, it's not stupid to ask for help when you clearly need it."
Adelaide didn't answer her and just looked down. "Come on, Dela, why aren't you answering me?"
"I don't want to burden you. I just don't want to be a burden to anyone, and i am not your nor Mary not Marlene or anyone's responsibility."
"Oh, Adelaide that's so-" Before Lily could tell Adelaide what she wanted to hear most from someone, especially one of her friends, her words were cut off when a ball of paper hit her head. She looked annoyed and opened the paper.
It was clearly not intended for Lily, but for Adelaide as there was a moving drawing, a caricature really, of her trying to cast a spell. The drawing moved and showed her spell backfiring and turning her into a mouse-like person, with long whiskers. Under it was a bad handwriting that said: I am a stupid annoying person who does nothing but being useless and ugly. Afterwards, the drawing changed into her caricature being caught into a mousetrap and dying in a pool of blood. The writing changed into: i am a wannabe who is better off being caught into a mousetrap and dying a painful death.
Lily gasped and looked disgusted while Adelaide felt her eyes stinging and when she heard loud laughters from the rest of the class, she felt her cheeks getting warm.
"Those idiots, it's fine, ok? Don't cry now." Lily told her as she glared at the other side of the class.
"Ooo, don't cry Adelaide, don't be a baby." This was definitely the mocking voice of James who copied Lily. Adelaide looked up and her suspicions were correct, it was those boys who had drawn that caricature and let the class know about the prank.
Adelaide got up and walked to them. Many of the Gryffindor students were laughing with some Ravenclaws, though she was glad that her ex-friends at least were none of them. When she looked at Somerset he didn't look that confused or anything, he looked cool but a bit annoyed, then he looked up and saw her.
Oh, so he is definitely the brain of this prank, judging by his reaction. How clever. Bullying me for giggling at his whiskered snuffbox.
"Somerset, your ego is too small to scar. What the hell was this all about?"
Before he could respond, Sirius butted in: "Did we insult you, Adelaide dear?"
"Oh, in order to insult me i need to value your opinions first," Then as she glared back at Somerset she continued: "Which i don't."
"Ohh, our good girl has grown some spike in these past few months, had you not?" James said as he laughed at his own stupid joke.
"I am not your good girl, first because i am not yours, second because i am not always good."
"That's enough." Somerset exclaimed with worry. "The professor might..."
"Come back? Right now? You only care about what looks good for you. How you would seem to other people. While you truly are nothing but an awful arrogant self-centred bratty bullying piece of shit!" Adelaide snapped, it was her first time really cursing and Victoria would definitely be proud.
"Oh, really? And you are a stupid little girl who thinks that she is better that everyone and likes to act all innocent but she is nothing but poison to those around her and in reality she is just taking space and being a burden!"
Adelaide slapped his face as hard as she could. Everyone gasped and looked between the two of them.
"Mr Somerset and Miss Winchester! Put this to an end right now." Mcgonagall's shout made everyone jump out of their seats. She looked angry but also very shocked. Seeing your brightest students shouting and in Adelaide's case, slapping; was more than shocking.
"My! My! 50 points from Gryffindor and 50 points from Ravenclaw. Both of you sit down right now, and after your classes, at 2, come to my office, we'll have a discussion about your detention."
"What?" Somerset paled at that. Adelaide's throat was dry, only a whimper left her mouth and she felt everyone looking at her.
"Well, it's your first detention, both of you, i am most disappointed at you." When Mcgonagall uttered the last sentence she was mostly looking at Adelaide. What she is saying is that mama would be disappointed as well now. I am such a shame. Oh god.
Adelaide felt herself panicking, feeling everyone's staring down at them, especially her, since she was harshly breathing in and out. Don't cry, Don't cry. Adelaide just nodded and sat down, she was in a haze and felt numb, when the class finished, she quickly, before anyone could talk to her, dashed outside with her bag and didn't attend any of her other classes.
Adelaide didn't go down for lunch and just sat outside, near the forbidden forest, away from everyone until 2. Even though she wasn't wearing a coat, she didn't bother to go to her dorms and take a coat.
When it was 2, she creeped into the school and ignored some people's stares and questioning looks at her and avoided people she knew as much as she could, when she reached Mcgonagall's office she already saw professors Flitwick and Mcgonagall talking with Somerset. What is he telling them?
She stepped into the office and saw them all turning to look at her. Somerset looked neutral but his collected self again. He still had a red mark on his right cheek, which made Adelaide sorry, a little.
"Well, Adelaide, thank you for joining us since, your professors informed me that you hadn't participated in any of the classes today." Adelaide blushed and mumbled an apology.
Professor Flitwick sighed and turned to them both: "Minerva and i are both disappointed in both of you. You were always the most calm person in your friend groups if not in your whole school year. But i suppose there was a little of pressure on both of you, especially you Adelaide, and that's how you reacted."
"Stephan had already told us what happened, do you have the drawing with you Adelaide?" Adelaide nodded and gave them the drawing.
Stephan? She rarely calls students by their first names so she must be close to him too, in order to call him that.
Mcgonagall and Flitwick both frowned at the drawing and Mcgonagall put it aside.
"Stephan told us that he didn't draw it nor did he gave his friends that idea to do so. It was just Black, Potter and Pettigrew's idea and drawing."
"Really?" Adelaide said shocked and in disbelief.
"We will speak to those three because this misunderstanding was caused by them, but still you two mustn't shout and curse at each other or Adelaide, you mustn't ever slap a student unless you have to defend yourself. So, we figured that we would give you detention for only today afternoon from 6 to 8, since i doubt you would be ever doing anything again, so that's our gift to you." Professor Flitwick announced.
Adelaide felt happy when she found out that she had detention for one evening.
"We will also inform your parents-"
"No!" Adelaide shouted suddenly, with Mcgonagall rolling her eyes a bit.
"And why would that be?"
"I don't want to burden papa with my misbehaviour, he's already dealing with too much."
Somerset's eyes widened a bit in realisation when he heard the word «burden» and looked regretful, which went unnoticed by Adelaide.
"Very well. So you may go." Flitwick said goodbye and left, but Mcgonagall tapped Adelaide on her shoulder, "You wait here, i need to speak with you."
"I think you are not doing as well as we thought. I should have checked on you sooner."
"I am alright."
She just looked at her and slowly nodded her head.
"Your mother would have been quite disappointed with you."
"I know, but perhaps she had done the same things too in similar circumstances." Adelaide replied so suddenly as if she just remembered Hagrid's words. Her mother had also slapped an annoying boy too.
Mcgonagall's eyes widened slightly: "You're right, she could be passionate when she was angry, under pressure or before her-" Mcgonagall continued with a ghost of a smile on her lips: "She did slap a boy, because he was arrogant and wrong, served him right. But don't you get any ideas, Adelaide. He was deeply wrong but in Stephan's case, he is a good boy. I suppose you can be mature and forgive him one day."
"You are close with him?"
"He is after all one of brightest students ever, so of course i am close with him. Sometimes he comes and asks me for help in his studies and all... now go and eat something, you do look awfully pale these days Adelaide." She told her sternly and Adelaide walked away.
Adelaide didn't eat anything and quietly went in her dorm room and changed her clothes for the evening. She wore a cotton pale blue dress that had thin straps with a big navy pullover over it with her boots. She quickly dashed outside, as not to be caught by Sarah or Alice. Midnight also walked with her to her detention, sensing that she wasn't feeling ok, despite Adelaide efforts to tell her to remain in her room. She studied in a quiet place at the orchard until 6 and when it was time she got up.
She walked to the classroom that they were told that they had their detention in, with Midnight following her like a shadow. She saw Somerset already there, sorting through files.
"Adelaide, Filch told me that for our detention we have to sort old files in order of their years."
Adelaide didn't acknowledge him and went through the files. Then she paused slightly: "You have never called me by my first name."
"Yeah, well for some reason, i like to call you by your name."
"Don't."
"Or what? You're going to slap me again?" He said in a joking manner. The Stephan Somerset joked with her. She gaped at him.
"What? You think I am not fun and always stuffy? If i ever was a mood-killer, that was the first year, or let's say, the first months of first year. When you're with those 4 idiots, you loosen up a lot."
Adelaide shrugged and went back to her files.
"So you're not going to apologise for slapping me?" He said in a playful manner.
"Well, what do you expect? A kiss on the cheek for drawing something so distasteful? No thanks." Midnight was looking between them, her yellow eyes shining in the dark classroom.
"Well, Adelaide, as Mcgonagall told you, i wasn't the one who drew that. It was Sirius's idea with James and Peter's craft. I swear to you i never had anything to do with it. I don't prank people with them, so bullying people is not even the top of my to-do list either."
Adelaide just shrugged and looked away.
"I wanted to stop them, i managed to get the drawing but when i wanted to burn it, they took it away and tossed it at your direction, i grabbed Peter's arm that's why it hit Lily at the head instead of hitting you."
Then he stopped and paced the room and got in front of her: "I truly had no part in this. And when you called me those things, i was really angry at them for doing it, i became more angry, so please don't take those things that i said to you, to heart. I am so sorry and ashamed of what i did."
Adelaide didn't look up and just said: "Then i suppose i am sorry for slapping you, it was immature of me, and stupid."
He then put a hand cautiously on her shoulder, with Midnight hissing a bit at him. "Hey girl, i don't want to hurt Adelaide." He chuckled. Midnight just went near him and rubbed herself to his leg. He petted her and she purred contently. Traitor.
Then Somerset looked at her and said: "Can we not have animosity between us? I think it had blown up and we need to stop whatever direction this is going."
Adelaide looked at him, there was a small little part of her that wanted to forgive him and shake his hand and perhaps even befriend him, but that as said before was a small part of her. The other part took great pleasure in refusing him, but it wasn't because it was amusing but because she was still hurt over his words, his friends' actions hurt her and even though she knew he had no part in it, she still felt humiliated in front of everyone. Mcgonagall was going to inform her father and that would have added to his worries and truly made her the burden that Somerset claimed she was, in anger.
"I-i can't." Somerset frowned and his smile dropped. "I hope nothing like this happens but I can't unhear what you told me, since you were kind of right. I might be quite burdensome." Adelaide coldly replied. He opened his mouth to argue.
"Don't argue against it. I know it's true. Don't talk to me anymore, i don't want to deal with you right now."
Adelaide turned back and went back to putting back the files in their correct order. Somerset was torn between what to do, he wanted to beg her for forgiveness but his pride was a bit wounded too. At the end, he chose to respect her wish and stepped away.
"As you wish, Adelaide."
The rest of the detention was spent in silence. Afterwards, even when it was finished, they didn't say goodbye to each other and just left for their own common room. Adelaide was very tired that day, and she knew it was time for dinner, as much as she was hungry, she had will to eat something, despite not eating anything for some 24 hours. It was the first day that she was wholly forgoing food, but she didn't care anymore. She was very tired and wanted to sleep but she wanted to study, so she took some books and left for the astronomy tower, returning to her dorm late at night, when Sarah and Alice were sleeping like all days.