𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 ━ Golden Trio Era

━chapter 3

Chapter 3
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THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK IN THE LIVING ROOM DIDN'T TICK. It was no ordinary clock; it didn't tell time. It was similar to the one at the Weasleys, the one that Remus took one look at and decided they needed one too.

Instead of the usual three needles that normal clocks had, this one had four. Each pointed at a location instead of a number: Home, Burrow, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, or Unknown.

Harry glanced at the dial with Sirius' picture, the one currently stopped at Burrow. He was smiling and waving at the camera, a stark contrast from his mugshot printed in the Daily Prophet.

Harry then looked over to Remus' one. Unlike Sirius, Remus gave an awkward closed-lipped smile at the camera, then looked away.

Remus and his own hands were pointing at the same place. As strange as it might be, Harry's former teacher was in the kitchen. He could distantly hear something sizzling on the stove.

Usually, Harry would be there with him, insisting on helping. Today, however, all his attention was taken up by the last needle on the clock. The one without a picture, the one pointing at Unknown.

There was an open book in his lap, one that he had been flicking through for the past hour without so much as glancing at.

The grandfather clock stood next to the fireplace. It never ticked, and right now, none of the needles moved. The last one never had.

As more time passed, Harry grew more worried. He hadn't heard from Adhara in weeks. He even insisted to Ron write to her, but she wasn't replying to any of their letters.

At first, Harry thought Matron could be intercepting the letters. Maybe even shooing the owls away, the same way as the Dursleys did with his letters.

So, Harry reached out to Hermione in hopes that she may figure out a way to contact Adhara. Though, even her letters were left unanswered. Hermione's visit only increased Harry's worry, making him realize that maybe Matron wasn't at fault here.

That perhaps Adhara was truly ignoring them all.

His godsister was angry with Sirius, for reasons Adhara couldn't be blamed for, and yet, here was Harry, reveling in any form of affection he was receiving from the man.

And he couldn't feel any more guilty.

He felt like an intruder. Like he took Adhara's place, preventing her from joining what was rightfully hers.

He was an intruder, a liar. Harry told Adhara he wanted her to leave Aleyne, and yet he was the reason why she couldn't.

"Harry?"

Remus' voice broke him away from his thoughts. When Harry looked over, he saw the man was standing in the doorway, a towel in his hands.

Harry shook his head. This wasn't fair.

"Adhara. She. She's angry. With Sirius, I mean. Because he-"

Because he refused to take her in, he wanted to say. Because Sirius was ignoring his actual niece in favour of a kid who had no blood relation to him at all, and it was making Harry hate himself even more—

He snapped his book shut, clenching his fingers around it until he couldn't feel them anymore.

—because Sirius ignored her even though he was her godfather. Because he left her at the horrible orphanage all those years ago and, even now, brought Harry home first instead of her.

Jaw clenched, Harry turned fully towards his professor.

"Why is Sirius ignoring her?"

Remus blinked, surprised at the sudden change of tone. "He isn't-"